


The Quest for Freedom

by CaptainCasus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, Gangsters, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Multi, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-10-10 03:49:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 45,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10428468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainCasus/pseuds/CaptainCasus
Summary: Eren Yeager's life gets turned upside down when he meets the members of the Wings of Freedom and ends up hanging out with them against his will. Things start to change however, as he becomes closer with each of the members, especially with a certain gang leader that goes by the name 'Corporal'.





	1. I meet a crazy lady and things start going downhill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren gets himself mixed up with the wron crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't get the spacing right! Sorry about that, I'll try to fix it next time but for now this will have to do, hope it isn't to inconvenient and that you guys can tell when there is a break. /////0///0/////

“You really need to get your shit together, Eren” Mikasa rants “I can’t believe you failed another Math test!”

Eren Yeager’s life sucked at the moment.

And so did his grades.

“Would you cut it out already? Last time I checked you were my sister, not my mom” I snap.

“Guys, please don’t fight” Armin groans.

“Armin, Eren’s future is on the line” Mikasa continues “We are in our last year of High-School; he can’t afford to let his grades slip.”

I sighed.

Mikasa and Armin have it easy; both of them are smart and know what they want to do with their lives. I, on the other hand, am failing Math.

“You know dad is going to kill you right?” she says.

I choke a laugh “Only if he remembers long enough that he has two kids.”

Mikasa scowls at me. Now was not the time to argue about him. 

Our father is a doctor at one of those fancy hospitals all the rich people go to. I guess that makes us rich too. He doesn’t spend much time at home and when he does he fails miserably at being a parent. Mikasa knows this, but she wouldn’t admit it. He’s the one who took her in after all, adopting her and grooming her to become a successful doctor like him.

He gave up on me a long time ago.  
It’s not that I’m stupid. With hard work and a lot of effort, I pass my subjects with good grades. Those grades however, are not good enough for him, despite it being my personal best. 

Armin puts his hand on my shoulder “We need to get going.”

Armin and I work part time at this coffee shop called The Wall.

“Right” I say.

After saying goodbye to Mikasa we continue our walk to The Wall, chatting along the way. Armin has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Ever since we were young, Armin, Mikasa and I have been inseparable. 

“Don’t worry, Eren” he says “I know you studied really hard for that test.”

“Then why do I still not get it?”

“Well, Math has never been your best subject, but there are other things you are good at doing.”

“Failing?”

“Come on, you know that’s not true. You are amazing at Karate and sport.”

“Well yeah, I actually enjoy doing those things.”

I feel restless when I am not moving, that’s why it is so difficult for me to sit down and study. I’m filled with this nervous energy and feeling of restlessness when I’m not doing something.

Armin looks around nervously “I don’t like this part of town.”

We weren’t in what you would consider the ‘bad’ part of town; however this area does have a lot of gang activity.

At least the business here is still good.

“Relax, you’re with me” I punch the air “I’ll kick any thug’s ass easily.”

He laughs “You shouldn’t tempt fate, Eren.”

As we round the corner we are greeted by the sigh displaying the name of the coffee shop. 

I wave at our two co-workers whose shift we were taking over and go to undress in the back. I actually like my job here, the place has a very artsy feel to it and there are always interesting people coming in and out. For a few hours each day I get to forget about school and life in general and make money while doing it.

Maybe my life isn’t as bad as I think it is. Our shift finally ended at five.

A half hour later -after we cleaned up -Armin and I got to leave. We soon parted ways; he had to hurry home to his grandfather, which left me to my own thoughts.

Which were about all the homework and studying I have to do.

It was starting to get dark outside, but not enough so that the streetlights were switched on. Hopefully Armin gets home safe. He’s a bit of an airhead and not the best in a fight.

I pause for a moment, wondering if I should go after him. No, I think. Armin is a big boy now; he needs to learn to handle things. Besides, he would call me if something was up.

As I continue my walk, I realize that there were two figures up ahead. I soon close the distance between us. It was two men, leaning against the wall, both of them were smoking. 

From the brief look I gave them, I established that they were indeed two thugs.

Luckily, I passed them without a problem. 

However, after walking for a few more minutes, my gut feeling told me that something was not right. I felt uneasy.

I was almost at the parking lot where Mikasa is supposed to come fetch me when somebody roughly pulled at the hood of my jacket.

I spin around, facing the two men from earlier.

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” I ask them.

“Listen here boy” the one sneers “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

His friend gestures to my bag “Give us your phone and wallet.”

“I don’t think so” I tell him “It is in your best interest to just leave me alone.”

“Are you seriously telling us to fuck off?”

“I said it in a polite way.”

The man makes a grab for my bag. In return, I seize his arm and perform a basic throwing technique. The man hit the ground, hard, which made his friend stop in his tracks. Taking advantage of their daze, I bolt down the street to the parking lot. I didn’t stop for a moment to look behind me, hoping that I put enough distance between us.

Never have I been so happy to see the supermarket lot and the black motorcycle, patiently waiting for me.

“Mikasa” I jump on the back of her bike “Drive. Now.”

“Eren, what’s wrong?”

“Tell you later, just go!” I pull the helmet over my head.

Mikasa speeds out of the parking lot and down the street, zipping between the cars.

I swear I can still feel the Adrenalin coursing through me.

I know I can easily defend myself against them, but these were gangsters, the last thing I need is to piss of some gang boss. 

When Mikasa pulls up in our drive way I jump of the bike, hoping to dodge her questions.

“Eren” she calls “What happened?”

I jam my keys into the lock and hastily open the door, flipping on the light as I move through the house.

“Please tell me, you looked really freaked out” she begs.

We were in the living room; I was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the second floor.

“I almost got mugged; it just rattled me a bit, okay?”

“Oh my gosh, are you alright? You didn’t get hurt?”

“Of course not” I say.

Mikasa says something about dinner but I ignore her. I pad down the hall, my room was at the very end. After switching on the light, I throw my bag down on the ground and sit on my bed.

Today was certainly eventful. At least it’s Friday, which means I can sleep in and postpone doing homework for as long as possible. 

There was a knock on my door “Eren?”

Mikasa opens the door and comes to sit next to me on the bed.

“About today” she begins “I didn’t mean to freak out about your math test, I’m just worried about you.”

I reach out to take her hand “I know.”

“Armin and I can tutor you; we’ll always be there to help you.”

“It’s alright, what you two need to do is focus on getting into college” I smile “You’re not getting into Medical School by helping me with Math.”

“I’ll make time-”

“Mikasa” I squeeze her hand “Just continue supporting me from the side-lines, I promise to tell you if I really struggle, okay?”

“Okay” she nods “Are you going to help me with dinner or not?”

“Dinner sounds good.”  
By the time I woke up the next morning-which was at ten- Mikasa had already left for the Hospital, where she does volunteer work.

I was still lying in bed, scrolling through my recommendations on YouTube, when my phone started to buzz. 

“Morning Armin” I say.

“Hey Eren, do you want to come over today and work on homework together?”

“Actually-”

“And don’t tell me you have something to do, I know your lying.”

“Alright” I give in “I’ll be over as soon as I’m ready.”

Once I hung up on him, I roll out of bed and start to get ready. I dressed in my black jeans and a t-shirt, brush my teeth and run my fingers through my hair. My bag was still on the ground, books scattered everywhere, so I roughly stuff them inside along with a hoodie. 

I was home alone, as I usually am during weekends, so I decide to grab breakfast along the way. Before leaving I switch on the alarm and lock the door. 

If I had my motorcycle, I would have driven to Armin’s house, but sadly it’s in the shop to get some repairs done. I had to walk all the way down the hill-since my father decided it was a good idea to buy the biggest house at the very top- and into town where I managed to catch a bus.

The bus took me to the centre of the down, not too far from where Armin lives. I grabbed a smoothie at an obscure health café and happily walked down the sidewalk.

It’s impossible to not be happy when drinking a smoothie.

I was about to cross the road when a car pulled up in front of me. The car was coming from a narrow one way street so I instead of running past, I wait for the driver to drive on.

Except they didn’t.

The car came to a complete stop and the driver got out.

The woman has messy brown hair, pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a loose shirt with baggy jeans and boots, along with thick rimmed glasses.

“Excuse me, young man” she smiles “I was wondering if you could help me?”

I chuck my empty smoothie in the bin “Sure, do you need directions or something?”

“Actually, I need you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t bother playing innocent, we know it was you.”

I start to back up, not sure what this crazy woman is rambling about. Suddenly something hard hits me over the head,

I fall to my knees before blacking out.  
I awoke in what appears to be a room inside an abandoned building. 

My head was throbbing and my eyes hurt.

The last thing I remembered was talking to a strange woman.

I wasn’t able to move due to the fact that I was tied up in a chair. My hands were bound behind my back and my feet were tied to the chair.

“You awake yet?” a voice says.

The voice belonged to a petite, young woman with shoulder length red hair.

“Where am I?” I ask.

“Don’t play dumb, Titan” she barks.

“What the hell is a Titan?”

The door of the room opens

“Hey there!” 

It was the women from before.

“How are we feeling?” she asks “Any pain?”

“I got knocked out!”

“Sorry about that” she laughs “You know how these things go.”

“No, I don’t! Who are you people and what do you want with me?”

The two women look at each other.

“He’s a tough one, very convincing” the red head says.

“I’m telling the truth” I groan “Please, you have the wrong person.”

“Petra, go get the Corporal for me.”

The red head leaves the room.  
“Who’s the Corporal?” I ask.

“He’s the one who’s going to decide what to do with you.”

“Oh” I breathe.

“The names Hange, by the way” she says “And you are?”

I stared at her.

“No worries, maybe you’ll tell me later?”

Both our heads turn to the door when it opens.

A man enters the room.

“Hey there Corporal” she grins “Maybe you can talk to this guy.”

The Corporal was a lot shorter than I expected him to be. Hange was a little bit taller than him, but he was much more intimidating.  
He wore ripped jeans with a grey shirt and a black leather jacket. His dark hair was cropped short along the sides and was longer on the top.

I swallowed nervously.

“Leave him to me” he replies casually.

Hange left the room, humming cheerfully.

“Your name” he says.

I look him straight in the eye, refusing to speak.

He sighs and slowly walks over to my chair, until he was standing in front of me.

He lowers his face to mine “What is your name?”

“Eren.”

Damn those blue eyes of his.

He retreats “Tell me Eren, am I correct in saying you are a Titan?”

There was that word again.

“I don’t know what that is.”

He raises his brow “You really are good, you can almost convince me that you are innocent.”

“What did I do to make you people think that I’m guilty of some crime?”

He was silent for a few minutes.

“You really don’t know?” he asks “You’re not putting up an act?”

“Yes, so please tell me what’s going on?”

“You beat up a member of our gang yesterday.”

“G-gang?” I stutter “It was self-defense!”

“So you admit that you attacked him in our own territory.”

“He tried to mug me on my way back from work” I say impatiently “I work at a coffee shop near there.”

“Wait, hold up” he says “He mugged you and you kicked his ass?”

“Yes, that’s what I just said.”

“Not because you are some Titan hooligan trying to make trouble?”

“What the hell is a Titan!”

The Corporal rubs his eyes “They are a rival gang, a gang I was told you are part of.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Really?” he says “Then explain to me how a normal kid like you brought down a thug.”

“I’m a black belt and I know how to protect myself.”

The Corporal starts untying all the ropes and then proceeds to roughly drag me by the arm out the door.

There were a few people lounging around on couches. Besides Hange and Petra I recognized only two other faces. 

They were the two men from last night.

Corporal gestures towards them “You two idiots forgot to mention the part where you mugged him.”

“So?” the one guy says.

“Do you realize that we are knee deep in shit because we kidnapped an innocent kid?”

“He’s not a Titan?” Hange says.

“No, shitty glasses” Corporal growls “Pretty boy here is a barista with a black belt.”

“I’m a waiter, actually” I say.

“Whatever” he lets go of my arm.

“What do we do now, Corporal?” Petra asks.

Corporal looks me over.

“We make sure he doesn’t talk.”


	2. I'm your what?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The series of events that unfold after Eren meets the Corporal and company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this earlier than I thought but omw I feel so proud! Third chapter might take a bit longer since I still need to its planning.
> 
> Enjoy!

We make sure he doesn’t talk.

I didn’t have a good comeback for that, at least one that doesn’t involve me grovelling like an idiot.

I may be royally screwed, but I still have my pride to think of.

“You want me to do the thing, Corporal?” Hange says.

“No, not for this one, he’s an exception.”

I’m not sure what “the thing” is and I definitely don’t want to find out; especially if the crazy lady is in charge of it.

“Listen” I start “This was just a huge misunderstanding, so can’t we just peacefully work something out?”

The Corporal smirks “Kid, if I wanted you dead, I would have gone with Hange’s suggestion, however, you are innocent.”

Relief floods over me.

“But” Corporal says “We can’t trust you to just walk out of here.”

Of course not, because that would be too easy.

“We’re going around in circles” Petra says impatiently.

“Well then, what do you suggest?” Hange replies.

“Would you two just shut up?” Corporal groans.

I debated whether or not I should just sit down, since my head was still hurting slightly, when one of the members strolled over to me, my bag in hand.

“Your phone has been buzzing the whole time; you might want to check it out.”

“Thank you.”

I remove my phone from its spot in the front of my bag. There were at least six missed calls from Armin.  
  
"Don’t give him his phone, idiot” Corporal shakes his head.

Just then it started buzzing.

“Listen, please let me answer this, my friend is really worried” I plead.

Hange and Petra look at Corporal, waiting for his command.

“Put it on speaker” he sighs “And please, don’t try anything dumb.”

I swipe to accept the call.

“Eren Yeager, where are you?” Armin says “It’s been four hours! What’s taking so long?”

“Hey, Armin” I say as calmly as possible “Listen, I fell asleep again after you called me.”

“Are you still at home? Should I call Mikasa to come pick you up?”

“No! Whatever you do, don’t call Mikasa!”

“Eren, what did you do?”

“Nothing” I laugh nervously “Just wait, I’ll see you now.”

“Eren-”

I hang up on him.

I’m going to get an earful from Armin. That is, if I ever get out of here.

“Eren.”

I jump at the voice of the Corporal “Yes?”

“You follow me, the rest of you continue doing what you usually do: jack shit.”

I throw my bag over my shoulder and follow the man.

“See you around, Eren” Hange waves.

As we move through the building, I realize that it is an old house. By the looks of it, it has been abandoned a long time ago, until they made it their hangout. There where couches and matrasses stuffed into bedrooms and hallways. Some of the rooms didn’t even have doors and the paint is peeling of the walls.

We finally made it to what I assume is the front door. Corporal had to give it a few kicks before it swung open.

“You first” he gestures.

I step outside and breathe in the fresh air. It smelled a bit like mildew inside.

“Okay, listen up.”

I turn my attention to Corporal. He stood with his arms crossed, despite our height difference, it felt like he was staring down at me.

“You may find this hard to believe, but to me, trust is very important” he continues “I don’t know you, therefor I can’t trust you.”

“I think it’s safe to say, I feel the same way.”

“Which is why, starting today, you are our dog.”

“I’m your what?”

“D-O-G” he spells it out “You’ll be hanging with us until I feel that I can trust you, that makes you a rookie member of The Wings of Freedom. Understand?”

“And how does this prevent me from telling the cops everything that happened today?”

The Corporal saunters toward me. Before I could even react, he pulls out a knife and puts it against my throat-blunt side down.

“We don’t take kindly to traitors” he purrs “And since you are part of my group, you are no longer just some kid, you are under my authority.”

“And that means you can do with me as you see fit?” 

“You catch on fast, I like that” he drags the knife down to my collarbone “One wrong move, Yeager, and you’re screwed, understand?”

“Yes” I grind my teeth.

He flips the knife over “Yes, who?”

“Yes Corporal.”

A cold sweat was working its way down my back. Hell, I even tried to breathe less, anything to avoid that knife pushing down on my skin.

“Good, now run along, we’ll contact you soon enough.”

He retreats and waves at me.

I roll my eyes. Who the hell does he think he is? Sure, I will do anything to avoid getting on his bad side, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to enjoy acting like an obedient soldier.

“And drop the attitude next time” he adds.

I angrily turn around, not bothering to say goodbye. I need to get out of here and away from him. 

I need to get back to the real world, my world.

 

“Eren, are you sure you are okay?” Armin asks.

I take a sip from my water “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”

We were sitting on the floor in Armin’s room, working on our homework. He and his grandfather live on the third floor of an apartment complex.

“Have you heard from your dad recently?” 

“No, he’s either staying at the hospital or at the flat this week, Mikasa says he’s really busy.”

“Oh” he sighs.

“Gramps is looking good” I remark.

“He’s taking it easy now” Armin smiles “It’s nice to see him finally relax.”

We continued to work in silence for another twenty minutes before I finally gave up. I stretched out on the carpet and closed my eyes. A nap would be fantastic.

“You want to call it a day?” I ask him.

“We have been working the whole afternoon” he says “And you probably want to get home before Mikasa.”

“It’s my night to make dinner.”

When I left Armin’s apartment I speed walked to the nearest bus stop. I admit, I might be slightly paranoid, but I want to stay out of the streets and get home as fast as possible. Luckily I wasn’t alone at the stop; there were a few people there, so at least I blended in. 

I put on my earphones, hoping that the sound of Fall Out Boy will calm me down. 

 

The thirst thing I did when I was home was to make sure all the doors were locked and that the security system was switched on, not that I was scared or anything. 

There is no way they know where I live.

These were the thoughts that plagued me while I was busy chopping up vegetables for the stir fry. So, when I felt a hand on my shoulder, I nearly chopped it off.

“Eren, it’s me!” Mikasa squeals.

“What are you doing here?”

“I live here, dumbass” she scolds.

“Sorry” I rub my eyes “Today wasn’t the best day, so I’m a little on edge.”

Mikasa hops onto the counter “Want to talk about it?”

I chuck the veggies into the pan and start to shuffle them around.

“It’s not that big of a deal. How was work?”

“Busy, as usual” she hands me the bowl with the noodles “I didn’t see dad at all today.”

The noodles go into the pan along with a sauce.

“You know how it goes; he’s super busy for two or three weeks and then he randomly shows up at the house for a few days.”

Mikasa changes the subject by saying that she will get the plates. Our father was a touchy subject; he’s absent from home most of the time and even had the nerve to buy himself a flat near the hospital. Some might argue that he is a dedicated doctor. I call bullshit on that- he’s a coward that doesn’t know how to face his kids or the events of eight years ago.

Eight years. I can’t believe it has been so long.

“Want me to put on a movie?” she calls from the living room.

“Sure, you pick one.”

I divide the food equally between the two plates.

Now is not the time for those ghosts to come back haunting me.

 

It’s Monday.

It’s the period right before lunch and I’m stuck in History class, not really listening to what the teacher is saying because Jean Kirstein won’s stop throwing paper balls at me. His seat is right behind me, so he’s made it his mission to be annoying as hell.

A piece of paper falls down the back of my shirt.

“Fuck off” I hiss.

I hate History class almost as much as I hate this asshole. 

Jean snickers, his chair creaks slightly as he leans back, stretching out his long legs. Of course, this means he’s sticking them underneath my chair, so he’ll most likely try to pull my chair out. 

I won’t let that happen again; one time was embarrassing enough.

My phone, which is under my desk lights up. It shows a message from an unknown number: 

We need backup. Get your ass here ASAP.

It can only be them. 

How the hell did they get my number though? That however, is the least of my problems, I need to get out of school and I need to do it fast.

I raise my hand.

“Yes, Eren?” the teacher asks.

“May I go to the Nurse? I’m not feeling well.”

The teacher contemplates this for a few seconds “You do look rather pale. Alright, you are excused.”

I stuff everything into my bag and hurry out of the room. The hard part is going to be sneaking out without anybody noticing. I continued towards the Nurse’s office, planning to take the stairs there, go down to the first floor and escape out the window.

My plan, for once, actually works out. I only had to hide behind a corner to dodge a teacher before I sprinted across the hall and leaped out the window.  
I actually did it. I snuck out of school for the first time without getting caught. Despite being happy to get out of History class, I had a nagging feeling, telling me that what I’m doing is wrong.

I would rather get a warning or detention from the school than whatever form of punishment Corporal has in store for me, should I disobey.

 

Okay, so I might not have thought this through entirely. 

I was hiding behind a tree, observing the hideout. They didn’t care to elaborate on why they need back up. For all I know, they were tied up in there and in need of someone to help them. Bu then again, they wouldn’t call me if that were the case.

So I skulked toward the door and knocked. 

Nobody opened it.

I gave the door a few kicks, like I saw Corporal do it, and sure enough it swung open.

“Hello?” I call.

I wander down the hall, searching for any sign of life when I heard a loud noise. Someone was running down the stairs.

“Eren!” Hange greets “Glad you could make it.”

She pulled down a white mask that was covering her mouth and nose.

“Yeah, about that, I was in school.”

“No worries” she laughs “It’s healthy to skip every once and a while, now, follow me please.”

“What’s so important that I had to rush here?”

Hange lead me to the right side of the house, past the stairs she thundered down.

“We need help cleaning up.”

I stop in my tracks “You pulled me out of school because you needed help cleaning?”

“That’s what I just said, really Eren, you should listen when people talk.”

Hand pokes her head into the one room “Eren’s here! Play nice and have okay?’

She gives me a pat on the back and skips down the hall.

“Wait Hange!” I shout “Damn it.”

“I see you got my message.”

Corporal was leaning against the door frame; he wore yellow rubber gloves and was holding a mop. Like Hange, he was dressed in old clothes and wore no shoes.

I frown.

“Maybe if I put you to work you’ll smile” he says “I want you to go into all the rooms and collect the bedding, then you go outside and wash them in the old tub, think you can do that?”

“Yes Corporal.”

“Good, now get going brat.”  
As ordered, I went inside every bedroom, except the one which I was told belongs to Corporal himself, and stripped all the sheets from the mattresses. Apparently there are a number of people who lived in this house so they stuffed as much bodies as they could into one room. After I did that I went outside and dumped everything in the old tub that was standing near the back door. The tap was rusty and a difficult to open but the water that came rushing out was clean. 

I was on my knees , busy washing the sheets when my phone started buzzing. I hastily dry my hands on my pants and answer it.

It was Mikasa.

“Hey, are you alright? Jean told me you went to the Nurse.”

“I wasn’t feeling very well so I went home” I lie.

“Alright, I will make sure to get all your homework for you; I’ll be home by five.”

Before I could respond my phone got whisked out of my hand by Corporal. 

“Okay, so maybe I wasn’t clear” he says “When you are here, you keep your personal life separate from this one.”

“I was talking to my sister” I growl “Explaining why I’m not at school.”

“See, that’s what you are saying but I can’t believe that” he twirls my phone around “Do you remember why?”

“You don’t trust me.”

He slips my phone into his pocket “You can get this back when you are done.”

I wanted to punch him so bad. 

“Is that all, Corporal?”

He gave me a wicked grin “You have quite the temper don’t you?”

“Only if someone pushes me” I challenge him.

“That’s cute kid, but you don’t stand a chance against me.”

I rise to my feet “Is that an invitation?”

He took a step towards me and opened his mouth to say something when Hange came rushing outside.

“Corporal!” she shouts “I think something died in the basement!”

“Hange, that is disgusting” he shivers “This is what happens when you only clean you room once a year you filthy woman.”

“If I find it than I am going to dissect it” she says excitedly.

“You live in the basement?” I ask.

“Yeah, it’s great down there. Do you want to see?”

“Actually I-”

She grabs my arm and drags me inside “Let’s go!”

Just what did I get myself into?


	3. Living a Double Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This slightly shorter chapter is the build up for the part I can't wait to write! Hange and Eren start to bond and Corporal is his usual self, except this time he's less edgy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! We had family over for a few days and Dragon Age:Inquisition as well as Assassin's Creed is taking over my life.

The basement is a mess. There were clothes scattered on the floor, her bed was unmade and there were piles of books stacked everywhere.

“Do you live alone down here?”

“Yes, for some reason nobody wants to room with me.”

I smile politely and pick up one of her books, paging through it until I reach the place where she last read. The bookmark was spoon.

“I heard things got a little heated between you and Corporal” she flops down on her bed “So I decided to intervene.”

I close the book and put it back in its place.

“He’s so difficult” I say “And unreasonable; every time he opens his mouth I just want to kick his ass.”

Hange chuckles “Corporal is a complex person, Eren. His actions don’t always clearly reflect his feelings; if you look past that you might find him easier to understand.”

“You seem to know him well.”

“Of course!” she replies “Corporal and I go way back; we’ve known each other since we were teenagers.”

“Really?” 

Hange pulls a box from under her bead and rummages through it.

“Come take a look” she calls me over.   
As I sit down next to her she hands me a battered photo that show three people.

“That’s a photo of us from when we were around your age.”

Corporal was standing in the middle, showing what appeared to be a hint of a smile. Hange had a huge grin on her face and had her arm around his shoulder.

“You all look so young here” I point to the photo “Who’s this?”

The man in question was a tall, serious looking guy with blond hair.

“That’s Commander” she whispers “Don’t tell you-know-who I showed you this and whatever you do, avoid Commander.”

“Is he bad news?”

Hange looks around, as if she were making sure that nobody was there.

“Let’s just say, that he isn’t someone you would want to get involved with.”

I give her back the photo “Thank you Hange, for sharing that with me.”

She nods “It’s my pleasure.”

I hear the basement door opening and someone come down the stairs.

“Hange, I thought you said you cleaned up?” Corporal says.

He stood in the middle of the room, as if he were doing inspection.

“I might have lied” she says.

Corporal shakes his head and tosses us each a water bottle and a sandwich.

“You haven’t eaten lunch right?” he asks me.

I stare down at what appears to be a toasted cheese “Thank you.”

“Unlike, shitty glasses, you’ve actually been working hard, so take a break and join me upstairs when you are done” he sniffs the air “It doesn’t smell like anything died in here.”

Hange winks at me “Eren and I took care of it.”

I smile at her. She might be a bit crazy but at least she makes an effort to understand me. Hange is the type of person I would like to have as a friend.

“I see you two are as thick as thieves already” he observes “Keep an eye on the kid.”

“Yes sir” she salutes “Mama Hange is on duty!”

Corporal mumbles something about her being weird and retreats back upstairs. I spent the rest of my break with Hange, eating and talking. I learned that she is pretty smart; she studied something science related before dropping out of University.

I was busy gathering the empty bottles when she asked me the dreaded question.

“What do you want to do with your life?”

“I don’t know” I sigh “I’m not smart enough to do what my father wants me to do; it’s either his way or the highway.”

“Maybe if you talked to him…”

“He doesn’t stick around long enough for me to have a conversation with him, not that I want to in the first place.”

Hange looks at me sadly “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Anyway” I clear my throat “I should go help Corporal.”

 

Corporal was busy dragging all the mattresses down into the living room, stacking them on top of each other.

“I see you finally resurfaced” he says “There are still two more in the study, just down the hall, will you go get them?”

Luckily they weren’t too heavy, since they were a bit on the flimsy side.

“Where are all the people whose beds these belong to?”  
“They have been assigned to different areas so now; a select group of youngsters are coming to stay here. I can’t have them living in a hovel, so this place needs to be cleaned up and repaired.”

“So it’s just you, Hange and Petra living here?” 

“Yes” he pauses “Now that you mention it, where the hell is Petra? I haven’t seen her the whole day.”

The fact that he was going to such extreme lengths for a group of people he doesn’t even know was commendable.

“That’s pretty cool of you.”

“What?” he growls.

“Fixing up this place; it’s not like you have to do it.”

He seemed to relax slightly “I hate things that are dirty, as well as unclean environments.”

“Does that mean I shouldn’t tell you about the roach that’s currently running behind you?”

His eyes widened and he grabbed a broom that was lying on the ground “Where is the little fucker? I will destroy it and all its spawn.”

I burst out laughing.

“What are you laughing about? Yeager are you screwing with me?”

“Revenge is sweet” I taunt.

He pokes me in the stomach with the broom “You shitty brat.”

“Well look at you two getting along” Hange says.

She was in the kitchen, which was connected to the living room via an archway.

Of course Corporal and I heavily refused that we were getting along. After all, it was just some normal bantering, nothing more.

We continued working until the afternoon. I helped with ironing the sheets and then packing them away as well as helping Corporal strip the paint from the hallway walls. 

“What time is it?” I ask.

Corporal pulls out my phone “It’s four.”

“Mikasa is coming home at five so I should start heading back.”

“I’ll drive you” he says, handing me the phone.

“As if I’ll let you see where I live!”

“I’m not going to murder you in your sleep” he argues.

“I don’t trust you.”

Hange pokes her head into the hallway “Here’s a fun idea Corporal; just drop Eren of somewhere which he feels is a comfortable distance from his house.”

“I vote for Hange’s idea” I say.

“Alright then, I’ll bring the car around.”

After saying goodbye to Hange I met up with Corporal in the garage where he’s sitting behind the wheel of a beat up Volkswagen minibus. I couldn’t even make out which color it’s supposed to be. 

He was busy flipping through his CD’s when I slid in next to him.

“I like that one” I point.

“You like David Bowie?” he sounded surprised.

“Yes.”

“Then Mr Bowie it is.”

 

I was dead tired when I finally got home. 

Corporal dropped me off a reasonable distance from home, but I had to rush to get there before Mikasa. After taking a shower I crawled into bed and browsed the internet.

“Eren, I’m home!” Mikasa’s voice calls from the hall.

She came into my room, carrying a plastic bag from the pharmacy.

“Hey, are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just tired.”

She places her hand on my forehead “You don’t have a fever.”

“I think I broke it earlier, I took every possible medication there is.”

“Well you did a good job. Do you have any pain?”

My back and arms were hurting from stripping paint.

“I already took something.”

“I’ll leave this here then” she puts the bag next to my bed “You should eat something and then sleep, you can’t miss out on school again.”

Mikasa said something about ordering pizza before she left to go do homework .Speaking of which, didn’t Armin say he was going to drop of my homework? I guess I can skip out on doing it today. 

When I go onto my phone again, I notice that I have a message from an unknown number, which I recognize as Corporal’s

_Did you get home safe?_

_Already in bed._

_Your bedtime is pretty early._

_I’m supposed to be ill, if you remember correctly._

_Right. Hange says hi._

_Hi Hange._

_Are you working tomorrow?_

_I work every day but I’ll figure something out._

_Sorry about that. Let me know? Sleep tight brat._

I’m not sure what freaked me out more; the fact that Corporal asked if I was safe or the way he said goodnight to me.

I reluctantly save his number, at least now; I’ll know it’s him who’s contacting me. As for my job, that’s something that I can discuss with my boss tomorrow. Maybe I can reduce my shifts? This whole thing with Corporal is really starting to screw with my life. I’ve already had to lie to Mikasa and Armin and I know it’s only going to get more complicated from now on.

Leading a double life isn’t going to be easy.


	4. Do we panic now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so fun to write! Hange, Corporal and Eren set out on a mission to save the day. Eren and Corporal start to bond? And both of them are okay with it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally starting to get nice and cool here. I even put on my winter bedding yesterday, here's hoping we get more rain. Watched The Tale of Princess Kaguya, it's amazing! Do give it a try.
> 
> Side note: This chapter contains smoking. I am not encouraging this activity; you do you and I'll just be on the sideline drinking my tea.

“Are you sure we can’t come with you?” Mikasa asks.

“I’ve told you; he’s a recluse. He avoids people in general, it’s a miracle that I managed to get close to him” I reply.  
As far as Mikasa and Armin know, Corporal is an old man, living his life devoid of human contact. This is the lie I am forced to tell them. It will keep them from wanting to tag along.

“It’s really nice of you to help him out, I’m sure you are making his life easier for him” Armin smiles. 

In order to help out Corporal I’ve had to drop my shifts at The Wall; meaning that I now work the morning shift on weekends to compensate for my absence during the week since I only work Tuesday and Thursday. 

After we went our separate ways, I went to meet Hange at the spot where she usually picks me up.

As usual she was seated in the minibus, however she was not reading her book, instead she bore a worried look on her face.

“Hange?” 

“Oh Eren, I’m sorry, let me unlock the doors” she mumbles.

I get in next to her “What’s wrong?”

She was quiet for a moment “It’s Petra.”

“Did something happen?”

“We don’t know” she breathes “She’s been missing for almost three days. Corporal is really worried, so the mood at the house isn’t all that great.”

“Okay, so why don’t we go talk to Corporal and see if there is anything we can do?”

“It’s not that simple Eren. Petra could be in serious trouble.”

“Then why don’t we go save her! If she needs help then we need to do something.”

“If what we think what happened to her is true, then it might get a bit complicated.”

“Hange, you are not making any sense.”

Her voice was grave “The Titans, we think Titans took her.”

 

When I walked through the door I was greeted by Corporal shouting a string of curses through his cell phone to some unlucky bastard.

“I don’t care!” he hisses “Those Titans have been picking us of one by one, and now they have one of my members.”

“Why won’t anybody help?” I whisper to Hange.

“Like I said, it’s complicated. We can’t just storm in there and take Petra by force, if we do that we could jeopardize The Wings of Freedom.”

Corporal makes as if he wants to throw his phone, but rethinks it and ends up putting it in the back pocket of his jean.

“Hange, why did you bring the kid? I can’t babysit today.”

“I’m not a kid” I protest “And it’s not Hange’s fault, you’re the one who said I’m not allowed to skip, no matter what.”

He rubs his tired eyes “Whatever, I’m going outside.”

Corporal treads down the hall, slamming the backdoor. 

“That’s not a good sign” she says “He’s going outside to smoke; Corporal only does that when he’s stressed.”

Hange then excuses herself, as she had to take a phone call, leaving me alone and feeling a little bit awkward. I felt out of place, not knowing what to do. I can barely handle all the crap that comes with growing up, so how am I supposed to deal with this? Corporal might be a grown man, but even adults sometimes need a nudge into the right direction. 

 

I found Corporal in the backyard. He was seated on a plastic lawn chair, cigarette in hand.

“Corporal?”

He didn’t respond. 

This is going to be harder than I thought.

I carefully approach him, not wanting to somehow scare him off or worse, make him even more upset than he already is.

“Just grab a chair, Yeager. You don’t have to tip toe around me, I’m not going to snap your neck or anything.”

I seat myself next to him, trying to figure out what I should say.

Corporal takes a long drag from his cigarette before blowing out the smoke.

“Do you smoke?” he asks.

“I’ve never tried it” I admit.

Growing up, I have seen enough pictures of a smoker’s black lungs to have put me off from ever doing it, hell Dad even once showed me an actual pair of lungs, damaged by years of smoking. 

He offers me his cigarette “Do you want to try?” 

“I don’t know how.”

Corporal grimaces “Watch what I do.”

He slowly demonstrates what to do, tipping his head back to release the tendrils of smoke. I take the cigarette from his hand, his thumb casually brushing against my skin.

I bring it to my lips and pull the smoke into my mouth. I must have done something wrong because when I inhaled it; my throat became very irritated, leading to me having a coughing fit.

“I don’t like it” I say handing it back to him.

“That’s fine, at least you know.”

My mouth felt dry and my throat was itchy. I’m definitely not doing that again.

“Corporal, what are you going to do?”

“What can I do? As much as I want to barge in there and save her, I can’t take that risk” Corporal runs his fingers through his hair “We don’t even know where she is.”

“Corporal! Corporal!”

We both looked around to see Hange running toward us.

“One of our Runners spotted her!”

Corporal jumped to his feet “Where?”

“Downtown near one of the Titans’ hideout, she somehow managed to escape.”

“Won’t they be looking for her then?” I ask

“We need to move fast.”

I grab him by his arm “Let me come with you.”

“Eren-” he starts.

“Please, I can help” I beg “I might not know her as well as you do, but if one of my friends were in trouble I would want someone to help them.”

“Try not to die on me” he says.

 

I have never really been Downtown; especially in the area that we were currently driving in. It was almost devoid of people, save for the odd groups of teenagers that were hanging around and pedestrians. Corporal parked in an alleyway, hidden from sight.

“So, this is what we are going to do” he explains “We’ll split up and search for Petra, according to the Runner she should be here somewhere, if one of us finds her then you bring her back here and call the other two.”

“Sounds simple enough” I say.

“Maybe, but be on guard, this place is going to be crawling with Titans, avoid any contact as much as you can.”

I traded numbers with Hange before she left; leaving me alone with Corporal again. He was fumbling under one of the chairs, searching for something.

“Can I go ahead?” I ask him.

He stuffs something cold into my hand “Not without this.”

In my hand I now held a pistol “Corporal, I’ve never shot or held a gun before, I can’t take this.”

“That’s a 9mm Glock, it barely even kicks. I’m not asking you to use it, just carry it with you.”

“I don’t know…”

Helping them to find their friend is one thing but carrying a pistol? It felt cold and out of place in my hand.

His voice softens “Please?”

Holy hell, have his eyes always been that pretty? And that voice, where did that come from?

I manage to choke out something in the line of ‘okay’. I hid the pistol in the back of my jeans, the same as Corporal did and started walking in the opposite direction of him. I flipped the hood of my sweater over my head and put my hands in my pockets, trying to look as casual as possible. 

Petra seems smart enough to know, that she should hide somewhere. The problem is that she might have done it too well. I peeked into every alleyway, walked down countless side streets and even went as far as too softly call out to her. I was starting to worry that we would never find her. 

I passed a dumpster and nearly fell over a homeless person that was curled up in a blanket.

“Sorry” I apologise.

“No problem” they say gruffly.

That voice.

“Petra?” 

The person pokes their head out from beneath the blanket “Eren, is that you?”

I crouch next to her “Petra, we have been looking all over for you!”

She throws off the blanket and slowly rose to her feet, clutching her side. Her face was very pale and her legs were shaking. 

“It hurts” she gasps.

It was at that moment I notice the blood, blooming on her shirt and staining her hand. 

“We need to go.”

I lift Petra up into my arms, surprised at how light she is, and start moving as fast as I can back to the car.

“How long have you been bleeding?” 

“I’m not sure.”

This is very bad. For all I know she can bleed out at any minute. I was unable to run, fearing that if I moved too much I would hurt her. I nearly jumped when I heard the sound of someone running towards me.

“You found her!” Hange says, relieved.

“She’s not in good shape; call Corporal to get over here now.”

“I’m right here! Hange get the car, Titans are following me!”

Corporal came sprinting around the corner. Luckily Hange heard him, she was hauling ass back to where the car was parked, which lucky for us was near.

“Yeager, start moving!” he orders.

I settled for a fast jog, hoping that it wouldn’t cause Petra too much discomfort. Corporal was at my side, keeping an eye out for the Titans.

“You’re hurt too” I remark.

His lip is split and a blue bruise was starting to form on his cheek.

“One of those bastards landed a lucky hit” he sneers “So I beat the crap out of him and his friends.”

The minibus came flying towards us; Hange slammed the brakes when she was next to us and Corporal hastily slid the door open. As soon as we were in, Hange sped down the street.

“She needs medical help” Corporal says “Hange?”

“My specialty lies in taking stuff apart not putting it back together!” 

Petra was currently lying in the back. I was applying pressure to her wound, using a shirt that Corporal gave me. The two of them were arguing about what to do- for some reason she couldn’t go to a Hospital.

“Stop it” I snap at them “Take her home and leave it to me; she needs stitches and something for the pain.”

“You know what to do?” Corporal asks.

I nod “Just trust me.”

Eight stitches later, and Petra was finally sleeping. She was lying on the table in the living room, which I converted into an operating table. The wound wasn’t deep enough to have punctured anything, and the blood loss wasn’t fatal. Luck was definitely on our side today.

I was busy washing my hands in the bathroom when Hange came in.

“You saved her” she says.

“I did what I could.”

“Thank you, Eren.”

“Go get some rest” I smile “You need it.”

Hange ruffles my hair “Yes, Dr Yeager.”

I grinned, despite the fact that the sound of that name made my skin crawl. After finishing up in the bathroom, I went to go find Corporal. The last time I saw him, he was by Petra’s side, but he was now replaced by Hange, who was sleeping on the sofa near her.

I know Corporal’s room is upstairs, but I wasn’t sure if I was allowed inside. Despite that, I quietly ascended the creaking, wooden stairs and turned left down the hall. His room was the only one on this side, which is probably why he chose it.

I nervously knock on his door “Corporal?”

The doorknob turned and his door swung open.

“Yes?”

He was dressed in what looked like his sleeping clothes and his hair was wet.

“I just wanted to know if you were alright.” 

“Come in” he sighs.

When I stepped into his room, I was taken aback at how neat it was. Even though the paint was peeling ant the carpet is torn up, his room appeared neat and tidy. He would have a heart attack if he saw the state of my room.

He closed the door behind him, which made me nervous, and when to sit on his bed.

“I thought I had you figured out” he says “But after today, I don’t know what to think.”

“What’s bothering you?”

“How did you know what to do?”

“I told you, I know first aid, I learned it at school.”

“Since when do they teach students how to close up wounds like that? You did it very neatly, which tells me you have done this before.”

Shit.

I took a deep breath “My father, he’s a doctor.”

“So you’re a rich boy?” he drawls.

“It’s not like that; all of that money is his, that’s why I have a job.”

“Something tells me you don’t get along with your old man” Corporal stretches out and puts his hands behind his head.

“Not in the slightest.”

“So tell me about it.”

I sit down on the ground, crossing my legs “Then you have to tell me something.”

“Fair enough” he agrees “Tell me why he’s so terrible.”

“I guess it started eight years ago, when Mom died. Mikasa and I were only kids, we needed him but he didn’t know how to cope so he started spending more time working and less time being a dad. He really pushed us when it came to school; he still does it to Mikasa.”

“Why is that?”

“Mikasa is smart; she’s working to go to medical school, just like he wants her too. I, on the other hand am not, I have no idea what I want to do with my life.”

“That’s pretty rough, having to deal with that on you own.”

“It’s not that bad” I say “Mikasa and Armin have always been there to help me.”

“I see. If it makes you feel any better, I also lost my mom when I was a kid and I never knew my dad.”

“Who raised you?”

“Let’s skip the tragic backstory” he rolls onto his stomach “Ask me something else.”

“Well, I am curious about one thing.”

He regarded me calmly.

I could feel my face getting warm “Your name.”

I started to worry if I maybe crossed some line that I wasn’t supposed to, but then again I just told him some personal things about my life so this is only fair.

“Stop stressing, I’m not mad.”

I glance at him. He certainly appeared calm; in fact I’ve never seen him this relaxed before.

“Only two other people know my name, one of them being Hange, so don’t ever use it unless we are alone like this, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

I look at him excitedly.

“It’s Levi, Levi Ackerman.”

“Levi” I repeat softly.

I liked the way it rolled across my tongue. Levi is an uncommon name, but I think that’s why it fit him so well.

“Stop smiling like an idiot, you’re making me regret telling it to you in the first place.”

“Sorry, _Levi_.”

He hides his face in his pillow “Alright that’s enough bonding for one day, go get Hange to take you home.”

“She’s sleeping” I laugh “Would you drive me?”

“Don’t you have your own car?” he groans.

In the end he did take me home, or close enough to home. Maybe one of these days I’ll let him and Hange see where I live and cook them something good to eat.

Even though today’s situation was far from ideal, Corporal, or rather Levi and I somehow managed to get closer. 

And I don’t mind it at all.


	5. It was awkward and then it wasn't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension rises between Levi and Eren; both are unaware of the other persons feelings but with some intervention they finally sit down and talk things out. Hange and the boys soon find out that the house won't stay peaceful for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter took me an eternity to write. 
> 
> So much will be happening in this part, everything is finally starting to come together! I love writing about these boys and all their antics.
> 
> On a side note, thank you for all the support and feedback.
> 
> Enjoy!

A week has passed since we have rescued Petra and things are busier than ever back at the house. We have been working almost nonstop on the interior of the house, hoping that all the paint will be stripped from the walls once the new residents arrive. With their help, painting said walls is going to be the next step.

“Eren, when are you going to take these things out?” Petra asks from her spot on the ground.

“The stitches?” I wipe the sweat from my face “They should be ready to remove by the end of next week.”

“And you are sure you know how to do it?”

“Don’t be finicky; Petra” Corporal chimes in “Yeager knows his stuff.”

When Petra finally came to, which thankfully was after I left, she freaked out when they told her that I closed her up. Corporal was on the receiving end of that conversation. 

“Corporal can we pleas take a lunch break?” Hange groans.

“If you can find something in the fridge, sure, knock yourself out.”

I knew for a fact that the fridge was basically empty. There was nothing there except a carton of milk, cheese and a half eaten sandwich.

“I can do a food run” I suggest.

“Good thinking!” Hange says “Can I come with?”

“You just want to ride on my bike” I laugh.

“Is that a yes?”

“I don’t mind. Can Hange come with me Corporal?”

Corporal made a sound that we interpreted as a ‘yes’. Hange was eager to go and proceeded to pull me down the hall. The bike was in the backyard- Corporal’s orders- so we had to wiggle it through the narrow gate leading to the front. 

“Where do I hold on?” 

“You can put your arms around me or hold onto the side; whatever feels most comfortable.”

It turns out Hange are a bit of and adrenaline junkie. She spread her arms out wide and laughed that crazy laugh of hers as we sped down the road.

“This is awesome!” she cries. 

“Hange, if you fall of Corporal is going to kill me!” I shout against the wind.

Corporal has been in a decent mood the past couple of days. He seemed relatively calm, but is quieter than usual, which made it hard for me to approach him, since I have no idea what to say.

We decided to stop at the nearest fast food place- a McDonald’s- and got burgers and fries for everyone. We then took a shortcut back home so that the food won’t get cold.  
Once were safely back home, I could finally breathe. Hange is a bit too wild for me.

“Thanks Eren that was so much fun! Let’s do it again.”

I met Corporal at the backdoor, where he was waiting. Hange, it seems, was already inside.

“Your hair is a mess” he remarks.

I comb my fingers through it “Does it look that bad?”

“Stop, just stop” Corporal sighs “Let me do it.”

He starts running his fingers through my hair, evening out all the rebellious strands that are out of place. 

“You have cold hands” I comment.

Corporal pauses “No, you just have a really warm body temperature.”

I wanted to tell him that I didn’t mind his cold hands or the feeling of his fingers in my hair; instead I asked if he thinks I need a haircut. 

“I can cut it for you if you want” he offers “I’m used to doing it.”

“Sure” I could feel myself blushing.

“If you two are done flirting, would you like to join us inside to eat?” Petra calls from the hall.

“Jealous are we, Petra?” Corporal fires back.

“Levi” I say softly.

There was a spark in his eyes that I haven’t seen before. A wicked grin played across his mouth.

“Well, she’s not wrong” he purrs.

 

“So what did you say?” Mikasa asks.

Mikasa, Armin and I were relaxing in our living room. Since it’s a Friday night, Armin is sleeping over. 

“What was I supposed to say?”

“Eren, when a guy flirts with you, you should flirt back.”

“If you like him that is” Armin confirms.

After spinning a few lies about Corporal, such as whom he is and where I met him, I decided to consult Armin and Mikasa about what happened earlier the afternoon.

“I think I like him? I mean, he’s older than I am and we didn’t start of great, and he treats me like a little kid sometimes.”

“An older guy huh?” she smiles.

“He’s not that old.”

At least I don’t think so? Corporal has a very youthful appearance. I also haven’t bothered to ask him his age. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I don’t know much about him.

“Maybe you two should just sit down and talk. Figure things out, you know?” Armin suggests.

I steered the conversation away from my love life and the night slowly went by. We made popcorn, watched a movie and talked until we fell asleep, spread out on the couches.

The next morning I woke up at six, since I had to get ready for my morning shift. The other two will still sleeping soundly, so when my phone rang I snatched it up and answered it before they could wake up.

“Hello?”

“Eren, morning” Corporal says “Hange and I both have a hangover; could you bring us something from the store?”

“I guess?” it’s a good thing I got up so early.

“Right, see you in a little bit.”

Having never experienced a hangover myself, I relied on my knowledge of what of my classmates told me they did. I purchased a few things to make breakfast as well as orange juice and something for their headaches. All the windows were shut and the curtains were closed on both the front and back of the house. The problem came in when I wanted to open the backdoor, which appeared to be locked.

Of course that meant I had to call Corporal.

“Problem, Yeager?” he asks.

“The door is locked; can you open it for me?”

After waiting a few minutes, the door swung open. 

“Wow” I whistle.

Corporal is a mess. He still wore the previous day’s clothes, a wrinkled grey t-shirt and loose black jeans. The dark circles under his eyes are more prominent than usual and he gave me a particularly dirty look.

“You think this is funny?” he growls.

“Not at all, Corporal” I grin “I’ll make you guys some breakfast.”

I followed him down the hall to the kitchen where he collapsed into the chair, resting his head on the table. 

“How do you like your eggs?”

“Scrambled, Hange likes it like that too.”

I put the pan on the stove, waiting for it to heat up “Where’s Petra?”

“She went over to one of our hideouts to meet the new recruits, they will be moving in on Monday.”

“That soon?” I pour Corporal some juice, handing it to him “At least we’ll have more hands to help.”

“I guess” he grumbles.

“What brought on the drinking?”

“I felt lonely and bitter so I decided to drink my problems away instead of dealing with them like an adult.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not with you.”

“Oh.”

During the time it took me to finish making the food an awkward silence filled the room. I had only myself to blame, since I most likely crossed the line. I had to remind myself that whatever this relationship is that I have with him could end at any moment and that it was temporary, like my feeling for him should be.

“Eren I-” he starts.

“Morning Corporal, Eren” Hange greets.

Hange was fresh out of the shower, her hair hung loose and was slightly wet and she looked less tired than Corporal did.

“Hey Hange, I’m actually going to go now, need to get to work.”

“Don’t you want to stay and eat?”

I glance at Corporal “Rather not, I’ll bring lunch when I come again later.”

Corporal gave me an indifferent look, so ignored him and said goodbye to Hange. Whatever it is he wanted to tell me, doesn’t matter now since I probably pissed him off even more. This only made me feel worse, so I arrived at work in a terrible mood. 

I blame it all on Corporal.

 

I feel like crap; and the hangover isn’t helping at all.

Eren left this morning, giving me the cold shoulder. Something I said must have made him angry enough to give me that stupid teenager attitude. Everything could have been fine if Hange didn’t show up when she did. 

I clench my jaw. No, Hange isn’t the one to blame. 

Eren is just so young and unpredictable. There are times when his actions and words are that of an adult, more mature than I could ever hope to be. But he is still a child at heart, although he has his fair share of hardships, he still has that hopefulness about him; that maybe the world isn’t a bad place.

I think that’s why, against all reason, I like him so much. 

Maybe if I could stop being an asshole for five minutes I could show him how I feel, since words aren’t exactly my strongpoint.

“You’re brooding, Levi” Hange remarks.

“I’m always brooding.”

“Did you and Eren have a fight?”

“You saw how he ignored me.”

“That boy’s got spunk” she chuckles “No one would dare give Corporal attitude.”

It’s that spunk that I love. Of course, if he were any other member I would have taught him a lesson on respecting their superior. But he wasn’t just some random recruit. 

“That brat has no idea the effect he has on me.”

“Which is why you should tell him.”

“Tell him what Hange; that an old washout who hasn’t felt alive in years is finally starting to give a damn again? He deserves so much better than me, that kid can go places, places I won’t be able to follow him to.”

Hange reaches across the table to hold my hand “If only you could see the way he looks at you then maybe you wouldn’t think that way. Both of you want stability, someone they can share their troubles with.”

I stare at our hands. Hange has always been my closest friend.

“You listen to me.”

She shakes her head “It’s not the same Levi, I’ll always be there for you, but not in the way he can or will be.”

“Thanks shitty glasses” I sigh.

“No problem Corporal.”

I release her hand “Enough with the fluff, we need to get to work. If only those brats got here earlier than we might make more progress.”

“Go clean yourself up first, you still look like shit.”

She sticks out her tongue at me and runs away, laughing.

How is it that the most important people in my life are all such weirdos? 

 

I didn’t know what to expect when I returned to the house later that day.

Corporal angrily banging on the backdoor, shouting Hange’s name, certainly wasn’t it.

“This isn’t funny Hange! You are a dead woman when I get in there!”

“What’s wrong?” I ask

“Hange, dear, lovely Hange has decided to lock us out until we sort our shit out.”

“Well then, I guess we’ll be stuck out here forever” I mutter.

“Don’t start with me Yeager” he snaps.

“Or what?” I challenge him “What are you going to do Corporal? You already screwed up my life, what more do you want?”

Corporal grabs me by my shirt and pulls me so that I’m eye level with him.

“I screwed up your life? You aren’t so innocent yourself; you’ve made me into a mess! I can’t get you out of my head even when I’m drunk, hell if only you knew what I was thinking of what I wanted to do with you…”

Heat flooded to my face “I don’t understand.”

“I think you know perfectly well what I mean.”

He releases me and I stumble a bit. My knees suddenly felt very weak.

“Okay” I breathe “Shouting isn’t helping, let’s just go somewhere quiet where we can talk.”

He looks at me sceptically “Alright.”

“So, how do you feel about taking a ride?”

 

Unlike Hange, Corporal actually sat still and held on. His arms are wrapped around my waist and he rested his head against my back. We were on our way to a park near my house that usually isn’t too crowded. After stopping for coffee we wandered through the park, looking for a place to sit.

“You live near here right?” he asks.

I point to the mountain side “At the top of the hill.”

“It must be nice living in a big house.”

“Not when it’s so empty, I’m alone most of the time.”

“Where’s your sister at?”

“If she’s not busy studying then she’s at the Hospital doing community service” I add “She’s going to be a great doctor one day.”

“You’re proud of her.”

“Well yeah, even though we have our differences we always make up and try to understand the other person’s feelings.”

“Can you say the same about her?”

I halt “Sometimes it feels like she doesn’t try, honestly I don’t think anybody tries to understand. When they look at me they see Dr Yeager’s son, people expect me to do all these amazing things but they don’t realize that I’m just plain old Eren Yeager.”

“Well” he says softly “I happen to like Eren Yeager very much and I don’t think he’s ordinary at all.”

His face was serious, as usual, but there was a softness that settled over it, smoothing out his features. For a moment he looked like the boy that I saw on the photograph.  
I feared that if I were to open my mouth, no words would come out, so I reached for his hand instead and continued walking. He intertwined his fingers with mine, making my heart beat like crazy. I wondered if he felt the same way. 

“You think Hange will let us in later?” I ask.

“I don’t know, this is her idea of helping so I guess we can’t blame her” he sighs.

I swallow “She knows about all of this?”

“After listening to me complaining about you for the whole night, yes she does.”

“I didn’t picture you as a sad drunk.”

“That is entirely your fault! Yes you, don’t look at me like that with those pretty eyes” he scolds.

“You think my eyes are pretty?”

“Yes, but that’s beside the point.”

I lead him to a bench where we sit down, still holding hands.

“What are you going to do about it? Are you going to keep on drinking, hoping that you’ll forget about me?”

“That depends on you; I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

I’m playing a dangerous game with him. Although we come from two different worlds, it’s as if his world has slowly started consuming mine, wreaking havoc along the way. It certainly isn’t going to be easy, having this sort of relationship with him but still…

“I like you, Levi.”

Levi lets out a shallow breath, as if he were holding it in. He then angles his body towards me and leans in closer.

“Is this okay?” he whispers.

I nod, so he gently places his hand on my cheek and brings his face to mine. My eyes close, almost instinctively and I found myself edging closer to him as well. 

“Damnit” he swears.

I pull back, afraid that I upset him but he pulled out his phone from his leather jacket and swipes to accept the incoming call.

“Hange, your timing fucking sucks.”

He looks at me apologetically and frowns at whatever Hange is telling him. Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound like good news. 

“Yeah, whatever, just don’t let them brake the house down and don’t scare them away” he orders.

Levi jams his phone back into his pocket and looks at me.

“Something wrong?” I ask.

“Petra just came back, with the newbies in tow.”

“I thought they were coming on Monday?” 

He ruffles my hair “Sorry brat, but we need to get back there.”

I’m not going to lie, I feel pretty bummed out. We got interrupted at the worst possible moment.’

I get up from my seat and offer him my hand “Let’s go home.”

 

The day was slowly fading to dusk when we returned home. The backdoor was open, which was unusual and the light in the hallway was switched on.

By far the strangest thing was all the noise. 

The living room was filled with a bunch of chattering teenagers, there bags were neatly stacked against the wall.

“Pipe down, we can hear you from all the way outside” Corporal says loudly.

Silence fell across the room as they turn their attention towards us. Corporal stood with his arms folded, as he looks over the new recruits.

“Squad 104, you will address me as Corporal, the crazy lady over there is Hange and this one” he gestures to me “Is Yeager, you’ll be seeing him around here a lot.”

“Alright kiddos” Hange says from her place in the corner “Can you each please introduce yourself?”

The kids all look around, waiting for someone to make the first move.

“I guess I’ll start” says a brown haired girl “My name’s Sasha Blouse!”

“Connie Springer” says the dude with the shaved head.

“I’m Ymir and the cutie next to me is Krista” a girl says, smiling brightly.

“Annie Leonhart.”

“Reiner Braun.”

“Berthold.”

The three of them sat together. The two boys were both built rather burly and the girl, Annie has striking pale blonde hair and standoffish demeanor.

“Marco Bott” pipes a freckled boy.

There was one more guy left, who sat with his face half hidden, not saying a word.

“You there, at the back, stop hiding and speak up” Corporal says.

Marco nudges the guy, who reluctantly turns his face toward us.

When he looked at me I understood why he was hiding.

“Jean Kirstein.”

This is bad. Jean, it appears, is thinking the same thing as me. He kept his eyes trained on me and was frowning.

I tried to catch Corporal's eye, but he was busy lecturing the group. Hange wasn't much help either, she was grinning at me, clearly not understanding that I am sending out a silent distress signal.

I don't like where this is going.


	6. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren finds himself in a difficult position when he discovers that Jean is among the recruits. Despite this setback, his relationship with Corporal continues to grow but all is not well for long. When a certain someone comes knocking on Corporal's door, he has no choice but to let him in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to an Anime Convention this Sunday! It's my second time going and I'm super excited!
> 
> Have been listening to BTS's Spring Day way too much.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter and thanks for the continued support.

Jean’s death stare made me want to run. 

Why did it have to be him?

The worst possible outcome for this situation would be that he would tell everybody at school that I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. People wouldn’t understand if I told them that Hange and Petra are my friends or my feelings for Levi, that they are not bad people.

If my father were to hear about this I can forget about ever seeing them again.

So when Corporal finished his talk, I spun around and ran to the door. He called out to me, but I didn’t answer. I just wanted to get to my bike, away from the pounding footsteps that were racing after me.

I thought that I was safe, nearly at the backdoor when a body slammed into me. I fall to the ground; Jean was on top of me.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he demands.

“Jean if you don’t get of me-”

And then he punched me, right in the jaw.

“I asked you a question!”

Jean was suddenly yanked off me and then promptly slammed against the wall by Corporal. Hange helped me up, dusting me of and asking if I was alright.

“Alright horse face” Corporal shoves Jean “What’s the big deal? Is there a reason you decided to bash Yeager’s face in?”

“I know him, he knows me; do you see the problem?” I say.

“Fucking teenagers” he groans “Hange you take care of this one, yeah?”

“No problem Corporal.”

Hange clasped Jean’s shoulder, grinning at him. Jean on the other hand, looked terrified.

Serves him right, Hange might be all smiles, but according to Corporal she is quite frightening when she gets mad, which luckily isn’t often.

Corporal gently turns my face towards the light “I’m sorry to say, but that pretty face of yours is bruised.”

“Mikasa is going to kill me.”

“Hey, relax” his fingers graze over my jaw “I’ll get you some ice, so go to my room, I’ll be right up.”

I slunk towards the stairs, not wanting the new house guests to see my sorry state, especially after I basically flew out of the room. Corporal’s room was the perfect sanctuary to hide out until things have calmed down. It was just as neat as the previous time, especially the bed that was made up hospital style. I decided to linger near the window instead, watching as the last bit of the sun dipped behind the horizon. 

The door opened and closed behind me.

“Sit down, Eren” he orders.

I reluctantly sit down on the edge of the bed, holding the ice pack he gave me against my jaw.

“I’m sorry Levi” I say.

“What are you apologizing for? He’s the one that hit you; honestly I’m surprised that you didn’t kick his ass.”

“We already do that at school, besides this battle wasn’t worth fighting.”

Levi comes to sit down next to me “Who wins when you two fight?”

“Jean also does karate so it differs each time” I add “But so far I’ve won the most.”

Levi cracks a smile “The joys of being young and stupid.”

“Levi how old are you?”

He sighs “You sure you want to know that? I’m not as young as I look.”

“I figured as much.”

“I’m turning thirty this year.”

A moment of silence passed between us. He is a lot older than I expected him to be and yet…

“A twelve year difference isn’t that bad.”

Levi unexpectedly let out a short laugh “You just keep on surprising me, it’s like nothing fazes you.”

“Does it bother you that I’m younger?”

He hesitates slightly “Not particularly, what concerns me is that I’m not exactly the kind of person you would want to bring home to meet your family.”

Levi was looking down at his shoes; clearly this is something that has been bothering him. I lower my ice pack and take his hands.

“I like you just the way you are, sure Mikasa and Armin might freak out a little bit, but if they get to know you I’m sure they’ll like you. In any case, it doesn’t matter what they think.”

“Thank you that means a lot to me” he says slowly.

He had a peaceful expression on his face; clearly those words put a rest to his insecurities. It never occurred to me that he somehow felt inferior to me. I don’t know much about his past, but I don’t want to pressure him to talk about it if it brings back bad memories. Some scars are better left unopened.

“Does it still hurt?”

I touch the bruise “Just a little bit.”

“Such a brave soldier” he brings his mouth to my ear “How about I kiss it better?”

I open my mouth and close it, since I seem to have lost the ability to produce any form of speech. He softly brushes his lips over my jaw before giving it a kiss. Levi pulls away, turning his attention to somewhere else.

“Are you…blushing?” I ask surprised.

“Don’t flatter yourself, besides you’re the one who stopped breathing and have you seen how red you are?”

“Come on Levi, I didn’t mean it like that! I think it’s-”

“Don’t you dare say cute.”

“Endearing?” I try.  
He pokes me in the ribs “Luck for you, you are a smooth talker with an impressive vocabulary.”

The bedroom door opens and Hange appears “Hey there lovebirds.”

“Hange” he greets.

“So I had a nice talk with Jean and he’s willing to apologize to Eren; of course you two need to talk things out and come to some sort of understanding.”

“We might have trouble with the ‘understanding’ part; Jean and I don’t get along at all.”

“Suck it up princess” he says “There are many things in life I don’t like doing, but I have to, because life is a bitch.”

“By that, Corporal means that if he has to play nice and be sociable then so do you” Hange explains “So get down there and do your best!”

I glance at Corporal, hoping that he might back me up.

“Don’t give me those puppy dog eyes Yeager” he pushes me off the bed “Make peace and go home, I’ll call you later.”

“Yes Corporal” I groan.

 

I found Jean in the kitchen, talking to the boy, Marco who sat next to him during the introduction.

“Hey Jean” I say cautiously “Can we talk?”

Jean looked at Marco, who in turn smiled and excused himself from the room, leaving Jean awkwardly standing at the counter. I seat myself at the table, leaving enough space between us.

“Okay, I get that you were shocked to see me, because I definitely was when I recognized you.”

“I-I was” he begins “Listen Eren, as much as I don’t like you, I shouldn’t have hit you, it was uncalled for and I’m sorry.”

“It can’t be helped right? I want to punch you every time you open your mouth.”

He grins at me “The feeling is mutual.”

“Hope Hange didn’t give you a hard time?”

“Nah, she was really calm about it, at first she was upset but we talked and she actually listened, so there are no hard feelings. How about you? I mean you got Corporal, so I can only imagine how that went.”

“What do you mean? Corporal isn’t that bad.”

Jean’s eyes widen “Are you crazy! Corporal is one of the highest ranking members, second to Commander. Everybody knows that he’s got a low tolerance for bullshit; there’s a running joke that the only thing shorter than him is his temper.”

“Maybe he was in a good mood?”  
What Jean said isn’t a lie but why is it that he appears to be scared of Corporal? Despite how our original meeting went, I never felt scared of him. I might not know Levi that well, but I’m sure he wouldn’t hurt someone without good reason. Maybe the Levi that I know is an entirely different person than Corporal.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why is it that if you’re scared of Corporal that you joined his squad?”

“You really don’t know anything do you?” he shakes his head “Being chosen as one of Corporal’s squad members is a really big deal. You don’t have to live and work with the other recruits and you get a higher position.”

“Don’t you live at home?”

“Things aren’t going so great at my house; The Wings of Freedom took me in, gave me a place to stay” he looks at me “You have no idea what it feels like to not belong in your own home.”

“You would be surprised; my old man is barely at home, he’s a firm believer that kids can raise themselves.”

“I wish my dad wasn’t at home” he says softly.

“What do you mean?”

Jean looked down, not saying anything.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

I wanted to tell him it wasn’t okay, that whatever his dad is doing to him or his family can’t be justified, but I have a feeling he knows this; maybe that’s what drove him away.

“I think it’s time for me to go, hope you have a good night Jean.”

“I won’t tell anybody about you being here” he blurts out “So you better do the same, got that?”

“I understand.”

 

“Eren, where have you been?” Mikasa asks angrily.

“Relax Mikasa, it’s only eight.”

“You’ve been gone the whole day, today was my day off!”

“Imagine that; being alone for a whole entire day” I muse “Must be rough.”

“Eren…”

“I worked the morning shift today and afterwards I went over to work on the house.”

Not that we did any work.

“About that, why did I have to hear from Armin that you changed your shifts?”

“I don’t have to tell you every single thing that is going on in my life! I’m not having this conversation with you right now, so just lay off.”

I once heard that the golden rule for any relationship is not to go to sleep when you are angry at the other person because, when you wake up the next morning both of you will still be crabby. Mikasa and I generally try to follow this rule but it seems that tonight is going to be an exception; depending which one of us cools off first.  
On my way up the stairs my phone rings, which of course made my heart go wild.

“Hello.”

“Hey there, did you get home safe?”

“Yes” I couldn’t help smiling “It’s good to hear your voice.”

“Brat, I talked to you twenty minutes ago, do you really miss me that much?”

I close my bedroom door behind me “I had a fight with my sister.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s a stupid fight, she got pissed that I wasn’t at home today which made me angry because I’m home alone most of the time and she can’t even deal with one day” I rant.

“Maybe she feels guilty and she got angry because she wanted to spend time with you, did you think about that?”

“No” I mumble “I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot; you just get carried away to easily, end up saying or doing something stupid and then regret it afterwards. This fight however is not a senseless one; this is something you and your sister need to sort out. ”

“You know everything Levi.”

He gave a muffled laugh “Life experience kid, I happen to have more then you.”

“I wish you were here” I say.

“Me too, because these kids are fucking loud, it’s like Hange multiplied and her clones are running around” he groans “It’s actually ridiculous.”

“I’m sure if you tell them to quiet down they will, since their all scared of you.”

“Damn right they should be scared, unlike you, you have no fear whatsoever.”

I laugh “Thanks for cheering me up.”

“No problem, now go to sleep you have a long day tomorrow.”

“Goodnight Levi.”

 

The next morning I decided to make pancakes as peace offering. The smell seemed to have attracted Mikasa because she soon entered the kitchen area, already dressed for the day’s work at the hospital.

“Morning” she greets.

“Hey, I just made a batch, so grab a plate.”

After seasoning her pancakes with the sugar and cinnamon she came to sit on the counter next to me.

“I’m sorry about last night” I say.

“No, I’m the one on who overreacted; I shouldn’t have gone at you like that.”

“Clearly neither one of us is ready to talk about that subject so let’s just not bring it up.”

“We can’t avoid it forever” she states “What do we do until then?”

I flip a pancake “We take it day by day.”

 

After a slow day at work I welcomed the idea of doing some physical labor; at least it would keep my hands and mind busy. That and I can finally see Corporal again. So when I arrived at the house and he was standing there waiting for me, I couldn’t be happier.

“Corporal” I beam.

He surprised me again by pulling me into an embrace “Your smile is stupid.”

“You like my smile” I reply, resting my face in the crook of his neck.

He leans back slightly so that he can look at my face.

“You seem alright” he observes.

“I talked things out as best as I could with Mikasa” I sigh “But really I’m just happy to see you.”

“Remember that when we go in, we’ve got an ass load of work to do, so don’t expect any mushy stuff from me, as far as I’m concerned your just another brat I’m babysitting.”

Although I didn’t like the idea of being treated the same way as the other recruits I understood that things will be working differently from now on.

“This doesn’t change anything” he explains “I just want to keep you safe, so the less people know about us the better.”

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

He releases me “Good, so get moving recruit.”

 

I ended up working with Sasha and Connie, who turns out are a couple. Our job was painting the downstairs bedroom, which belongs to the girls. Both of them are very chatty and energetic and I found myself getting along with them.

“So Yeager” Connie says “How did you join Corporal’s squad? We’ve never seen you around before.”

“It’s complicated; I guess you can say I got into some trouble and ended up working for Corporal, somehow joining in the process, how about you guys?” 

“Connie and I ran away from home when we were fifteen” Sasha says whilst eating an apple “When we got into the city we heard about The Wings and decided to join.”

“Things were pretty rough before we joined, I mean it still is now, but at least we’ve got a roof over our head and protection” he adds “Nobody will mess with us now.”

I couldn’t begin to imagine what it must be like to be on the run, especially at the age they were. You hear about these types of things every day; kids running away, abusive family members, but actually talking to people who experienced it first-hand… 

“What time is lunch?” Sasha asks.

“It depends on whether there is anything in the fridge or not, if there isn’t then we need to head to the store” I reply “Corporal needs to stop living of coffee and start buying actual food.”

“You’ve got a lot of guts talking like that about Corporal” Connie laughs “Best not let him hear that.”

“Dr Yeager, your assistance is needed!”

Hange was standing at the doorway with the petite, blonde girl, who I remembered is called Krista.

“What’s up Hange?” 

Hange gestures to Krista “She’s got a big old splinter lodged in her hand and we can’t pull it out normally.”

“Do you have the medical kit?”

“I’ll go get it” she says, before bounding down the hall.

“Can I take a look?”

Krista walks over to me “Sorry, it’s really not that big a deal but Hange insisted.”

I took her small hand and examined the rather large piece of wood stuck under her skin. Although it’s nothing serious, it’s definitely too big to leave inside.

“I’m going to have to pull it out with tweezers, so it might sting.”

“That’s fine”.

Hange entered the room, medical kit in hand.

“There should be tweezers in there; would you give it to me please?”

“No problem Doc” she hands it to me.

“So how did you get elected as the Medic?” Connie asks.

I grip Krista’s hand “I gave Petra stitches a while back so I guess they decided it for me.”

“Ouch” she hisses.

“That was a nasty one. Let me quickly disinfect it and put a plaster on ,then you are good to go.”

“Thank you.”

“Krista!”

A tall girl with brown hair and tan skin suddenly appeared. 

“Ymir” Krista says, surprised “What’s wrong?”

“Annie told me you got hurt, so I came to check” she turns her attention to me “You, Yeager, I hope you didn’t try anything funny on my Krista.”

Krista blushed and gave me a weak smile, as is she was saying: just roll with it.

“Not at all. Why don’t you take care of her for me?”

So passing the medical kit to Ymir and explaining what to do she gave me a thoughtful look before returning her attention to Krista. They are an odd pair, but it’s clear that they  
care for the each other, Ymir maybe a little too much.

After that we returned to work and by we, I mean Connie and I. Sasha appeared to be passed out in a corner but Connie assured me that she was only being dramatic since she hadn’t ate in a while. Apparently this was normal. But as the day carried on I also got hungry. So when Jean dropped by looking more suspicious than usual, I knew something was up.

“Hey E- I mean Yeager, we’re hungry” he says “Think you can convince Corporal to get us food?”

“Why do I need to do it?”

“Corporal likes you, or at least tolerates you, so we figured that we stand a better chance at getting something to eat if you ask.”

“Where is he?”

“In his room, busy stripping the paint.”

I faked disinterest and agreed to go ask him. 

On my way to the stairs I found him having a heated conversation with Hange and Petra in the hallway.

“Is this a bad time?” I ask.

The three of them whip around, looking more worried than I have ever seen them.

“Eren” Corporal says “You need to hide.”

“What?”

There was a knock on the front door, which was strange since we rarely use it.

“Petra, gather the recruits, Hange take Eren and hide him somewhere” he orders.

“What’s going on?” I ask, panicked.

Corporal grips my arm “Please, you need to trust me, just do as I say and follow Hange.”

There was another knock on the door, louder and more impatient this time.

“Go!” he says.

Hange ushers me back down the hall “To the basement!”

I look over my shoulder one last time and see Corporal open the door, unfortunately I couldn’t make out who it was.

“Hange what’s happening? Why do I have to hide?”

“The Commander is here” she says gravely “And if see’s you, there’s going to be big trouble.”


	7. When he was young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a surprise visit from Commander, Levi answers some tough questions and opens up to Eren about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Con I attended was amazing! Artist Alley was lovely and I saw so many fantastic cosplayers, my favorite being two people who did Victor and Yuri.
> 
> Spent some quality time with my dear friends; I love you SpaceFam, you know who you are. 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter.

The third time there was a knock on the door I had no choice but to open it and hope that Hange hid Eren somewhere safe.

“It’s been a while Commander” I say “What brings you here?”

Ah yes, there he is; the biggest douche of them all, Commander Erwin Smith.

Commander looked down at me, smirking “Corporal, I thought I would drop by and see how our precious recruits are doing.”

Bullshit.

“Of course” I force a smile “Come on in.”

I hold the door open for him, letting him into our house.

Erwin had the uncanny ability to fill any room that he walks into, not because of his height and hulking figure, but rather due to his overwhelming aura. The man radiated power and control and he knew it.

“Hey Boss!” Hange greets as she came flying into the room.

“It’s good to see you Hange, how have you been doing?”

“Fine, just fine, haven’t blown anything up or scared the recruits” she rambles.

“That’s good to hear” he replies “Speaking of which, where are our young friends?”

“They’re with Petra in the living room, waiting to meet you” I inform him.

“Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.”’

I could feel him judging the state of the house as we made our way to the living room, even though he’s the one who bought this rundown place he still has the gall to act as if it’s my fault that it’s in this sorry state.

When we entered the living room the recruits were lined up and nervously awaiting the inspection of Commander. Petra was standing in the corner, trying to look smaller than she is. It’s always sad to see how strong and courageous people like her make themselves look weak to avoid any form of confrontation with the blond bastard.

“Recruits” Commander greets “Congratulations on joining Corporal’s squad, you’ve all worked hard and sacrificed a lot to come this far.”

The nine kids all look around at each other, unsure of what to do.

“Hey brats” I say “Don’t just stand there counting teeth, thank Commander.”

They all manage to make out a passable “thank you”. I couldn’t help but feel for them, they must be scared out of their wits.

Commander laughs “You all seem a little nervous; I hope Corporal hasn’t been telling you any scary stories about me.”

As if they need me to tell them. I know how it goes with these young recruits; they get scared shitless by the older members when they enter The Wings of Freedom, hearing tales of the feared Commander whose presence can bring grown men to their knees and has an eye for pretty, young things.

This is why Eren shouldn’t be here.

“An amusing thought” I note “But sadly I haven’t had time to tell them any, as you can see they have been working hard since their arrival.”

“Then I probably shouldn’t keep you from it any longer, it has been a pleasure meeting you all.”

Erwin gives them our salute- right arm firmly folded over the chest with a clenched fist and the left arm braced across the back. They copy his movement and then slowly file out of the room, guided by Petra.

As they each pass Commander, he quietly evaluates each of them. The tiny blonde, Krista seemed to catch his eye but he got the message when Ymir placed a hand behind her back. When all of them are gone, I finally turn my attention to him.

“See anything you like?”

“Not in particular” he purrs “You know I only have eyes for one person.”

“Please, it’s been long time Erwin; I’m not the boy I used to be.”

“Yes, that’s what you always say, but not much has changed, you’re still as bitter and lonely as when I met you the first time.”

I clench my teeth. He loved bringing up the past, bringing up the things I did, constantly reminding me that I can’t outrun it or change it.

Hange clears her throat “Hey Commander, is there anything I can get you?”

He kept his gaze fixed on me “No thank you, but why don’t you two show me around the house a little bit?”

Crap.

“Sure” I say “Lead the way shitty glasses.”

Hange nods. I trust that she’ll keep him as far away as possible from where ever it is Eren is hiding. So we trudged through the house, going up stairs, showing him the progress and where the boys are sleeping. At the moment they were still sleeping on the flimsy matrasses but hopefully somewhere in the future I’ll be able to give them all decent beds. Downstairs was starting to look better, the kids have started painting the girls room and even started fixing up the bathroom. I’m impressed by their work ethic, proud even.

“So Hange, I assume you stay with the girls?” he inquires.

“In the basement actually” she grins “Levi said I can do my experiments down there.”

“May I see?”

Hange freezes up for a moment. She most likely didn’t expect him to ask that.

“You see, Commander, there’s just a tiny problem” she glances at me “Something died in my room and whatever it is, it’s still tucked away somewhere I can’t see.”

The last time she used that excuse…

“I told her that if she continues to live like a slob that would happen, and don’t even get me started on the smell, it’s fucking disgusting.”

Eren must be hiding in her room, the one room she didn’t think Erwin would want to see.

“That sounds problematic; I hope you take care of it soon.”

Relief flooded over me. He’s going to be safe.

“Well if that’s all, than we shouldn’t waste your time any longer, I’m sure you have many things to attend too” I say.

“You and I still need to talk about the breach that occurred in Sector Rose; will I see you somewhere next week in my office?”

“Naturally.”

“Well, then I think it’s time I take my leave” he gives the salute again, thankfully for the last time “Until next time.”

 

So, Hange’s closet isn’t as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. The bottom rack had nothing on it, so I could stretch my legs out a little bit, the only downside was that I got a face full of her clothes, which were on hangers. When I checked my phone, I saw that I have been stuck here for almost an hour, which in that time I only opened the door a few times to get some fresh air.

I was about to do it again but I heard the sound of multiple footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Eren?” Corporal calls out.

“He’s in the closet” Hange says.

“You stuffed him in the closet? Hange, we’ve talked about this!”

I push open the door and crawl out.

“You called Corporal?”

He stumbles towards me, throwing his arms around my neck.

“Hey, are you okay?” I put my hand on his back “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll give you two some privacy” Hange smiles at me “Take care of Levi, okay?”

I waited until Hange left before I slowly started coaxing Levi out from this state he is in.

“Levi, everything is fine. You’re okay; I’m okay, so please just say something.”

“That bastard knows exactly how to get to me” he says angrily “Look at me, I’m a grown man and now-”

“No, don’t give me that. You are clearly upset; the fact that you’re an adult doesn’t make it invalid.”

He lifts his face to mine “I’m just tired, tired of being dragged back into the past.”

“The person who came, did he make you feel like this?”

He turns his back on me, digging in his pocket to pull out a cigarette.

“Commander, or as Hange and I know him, Erwin is someone you don’t want to get involved with.”

He lights the cigarette with a lighter that was lying on Hange’s work table and puts it in his mouth.

“But you did?” I ask carefully.

“Yes, and I’ve been regretting it for a very long time, that’s why I didn’t want him to see you. You don’t understand how he is Eren, he would claim you in a heartbeat; you’re exactly his type.”

“What is his type?”  
“Young, spirited and little bit broken” he says sadly “I was a lot like you when I was your age and look how ended up; a chained dog.”

“Levi, what exactly is your past? I know you don’t like talking about it, but do you think you can maybe tell me? I want to help you” I plead.

I hate seeing him like this and hate Erwin even more for making him feel like this.

He takes a deep drag from his cigarette “Take a seat Eren, this is going to be a long an unpleasant blast from the past.”

 

It was winter.

The day was slowly starting to turn into night, which means that it was also starting to become even colder.

I’m not dressed warm enough; the fact that my jeans are ripped at the knees and that I only had on a too big army jacket thrown over my shirt, didn’t help at all. So here I am, freezing my ass off because Kenny was in a shitty mood. I wished that I could over to Hange’s house, like I usually do, but it’s too late at night. It’s also to far too walk till there.  
I huddle closer against the wall and pull my jacket tighter around me. It felt disgusting to sit here on the dirty sidewalk, but that’s the slums for you, there’s nothing clean or pretty about it.

Maybe if I close my eyes for a little while and have more energy, I could find a better place to spend the night.

“You there” a voice says “Are you alright?”

I slowly open my eyes.

Before me stood a young man, he was likely a few years older than me, but he was tall and muscular with broad shoulders.

“What’s it to you” I say.

He crouches down so that he could look me in the eyes. From the faint streetlight I could make out that he has blond hair and blue eyes. His clothes were also pretty nice or at least better than what most people here wear.

“You’ll freeze to death if you sit here the whole night.”

“No shit” I snarl.

“You’re a feisty one, but I doubt that fire will keep you warm, so how about I make you an offer?”

I stare at him blankly.

“How would you like some food, a warm bed and maybe clothes?”

“If you’re looking for some service, try the next corner, I don’t do that type of business.”

He shakes his head “I don’t mean that, I’m talking about a place for people like you and I, somewhere that’s safe.”

An offer like that sounded too good to be true.

“What’s the catch?” I ask.

“Nothing, we won’t charge you.”

_Not yet_ , is what he seemed to say.

I sigh and get up.

“No funny business” I warn him “Don’t think I won’t fight you.”

He cracks a smile “Understood, now how about you tell me your name?”

“Levi Ackerman” I hold out my hand.

He grips my hand in return “Erwin Smith, pleasure to meet you.”

 

The ‘save heaven’ that he told me about along the way, is an abandoned storage house just outside the slums. I was suspicious at first, thinking about how this is the perfect place to hide a body, but I was pleasantly surprised when he pushed open the heavy door. The interior wasn’t as run down as I expected it to be and it was filled with people that were talking, laughing and longing on mats. They even had sleeping bags.

The thing that caught my attention was a pair of large wings that were spray-painted on the wall with writing underneath.

“Freedom” I read.

“We call ourselves The Wings of Freedom” he says “We’re a group of misfits and vagabonds that decided to come together, although we are relatively new, our number of members are starting to grow.”

A young girl with short blonde-red hair came running towards us. She’s still just a kid, how did she end up in a place like this?

“Hello Petra” Erwin greets.

“Welcome back Commander” she replies while doing a strange salute “Is this boy a newbie?”

“Yes, so can I ask you to take care of him?”

“Yes sir!”

I give him a warning look but he just grins at me.

“Don’t worry Levi, she’ll take good care of you, I’ll come check up on you later.”

He then walks away, leaving me with the child.

“Your name is Levi? How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“You’re pretty short for a seventeen year old boy” she says skeptically “I’m eleven, making me the youngest recruit here.”

I had to bite my tongue in order to stop me from saying anything regarding my height.

“I’ll help you get settled so follow me.”

I ended up following the little brat around, letting her guide me. Petra wasn’t very chatty but she explained to me where to get what as we made our way through the building. I managed to get a warmer shirt to sleep in as well as my own sleeping bag and cardboard, serving as protection against the cold floor. After I claimed a spot to sleep, which was in a corner, away from the other people, I got a cup of coffee and a piece of chewy bread.

It wasn’t the best meal but it filled my stomach.

I would have to get up early the next morning to walk back to Kenny’s house, get my bag and then head to school. I grew tired just by thinking of it, so I put on my shirt, crawled into my sleeping bag and closed my eyes

 

“Did you go back again?” I ask.

“Not at first” Levi says “For a while I avoided Erwin but I went back eventually and soon became a recruit, of course I progressed through the ranks faster than the others and became his right hand man.”

“Were you and Erwin ever…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.

“There was a time when I liked him more than I should have, to me he was the person who saved me, promised me that he’ll make my wish come true” he pauses “But as I grew older and our group became bigger, I realized that I had been tricked.”

“What was your wish?”

Levi became quiet, sadness washed across him.

“I wanted to be free.”

He had been standing with his back against me the whole time, so I got up from Hange’s bed and slowly approached him. When I was behind him I slipped my arms around his waist and rest my head on his shoulder.

“Thank you for sharing that with me, I know that it was difficult for you to talk about it.”

“I’ve been contemplating whether or not I should let you go, it would be safer for you but I’m too selfish, I want you to stay.”

“You won’t be getting rid of me that easily” I say.

“I thought as much, but if you ever want to go, I promise I won’t hold you back” he replies.

“You’d be able to let me go like that? No questions asked?”

“If it’s what you want, then yes I’ll do it.”

I didn’t like the idea of leaving Levi, especially after hearing his story. A part of me was terrified, knowing that the possibility of meeting Erwin will only increase the longer I stay with him, but part of me also wishes that I could meet him, look him in the eye and demand he releases Levi and the rest of my new friends.

I have been trying my best to keep my two lives separated and it has dawned on me that it is no longer possible, that Levi, Hange and Petra are starting to work their way into my once ‘normal’ life. Hell, even Jean is invading my other life; now I have no choice but to see him every day.

Levi flicks my head “Hey, space cadet, I said we need to get to work before the rest of them gets suspicious.”

“Are you feeling alright now?”

“I just needed to get out of there, I needed…someone” he furrows his brow "And that someone had to be you."

If I could, I would have said something, but sadly at that moment I forgot how to talk. And to breathe, for that matter. He picked up on this and gave me a crooked smile, one I had never seen before. It reached his eyes, which were bright and just pretty damn beautiful.

It was at that moment that I knew that I would do anything to see him smile like that again.


	8. The Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang visits Eren's house and have their first encounter with Mikasa, of course this causes a some friction between the two siblings, but Levi soon comes to the rescue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't tell you what to say  
> I don't tell you what to do  
> So just let me be myself  
> That's all I ask of you  
> I'm young and I love to be young  
> And I'm free and I love to be free  
> To live my life the way I want  
> To say and do whatever I please
> 
> The lyrics are from the song "You don't own me" by Grace feat. G-Eazy. It's a good summary of what young Levi was like and is slowly starting to become again. This song is also fitting to describe his relationship with Erwin, don't you think?
> 
> Are there any "Heathers" fans out there? I have been listening to the soundtrack non stop.

“I’m not sure how I feel about this Eren” Petra says.

“I promise I’m not going to hurt you.”

It’s been a few days since Commander’s surprise visit and the time has finally come for Petra’s stitches to be removed. We were in the kitchen; she was sitting on the table, desperately holding onto her shirt.

“Petra, honey” Hange says softly “You’ll be fine, you can trust Eren.”

Corporal stood by the fridge, observing us. He had to practically drag her here from where she was hiding.

“I can’t I’m too scared” she starts shaking “I don’t want to.”

“Petra” Corporal’s voice was stern.

She flinched at the sound of her name.

He sauntered over and held out his hand “You need to do this, nothing bad will happen.”

Petra grabbed his hand, still shaking her head.

“Hange, hold her” he orders “Eren, do your thing.”

“No, please don’t do this to me!” she cries.

“I can’t do anything if she’s in this state, let her calm down first. Hange you stay with her, Corporal come with me outside for a bit.”

I leave the kitchen and lead Corporal outside to the backyard.

“You can’t just leave her like that, she needs help” he says.

“I know that _Corporal_ , but I’m only going to hurt her if she jerks away from me, until she calms down there’s nothing I can do.”

He raises his brow at me “Well, then you’re going to wait forever because Petra has a phobia for hospitals and any kind of medical procedure.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I don’t know how to deal with someone like this” I stop my pacing “But I know someone who does.”

“I don’t like that look on your face one bit.”

“Well, then you’re going to absolutely hate my idea.”

 

“You promise we’re not going to a hospital?” Petra asks nervously.

“We’re going to my house, don’t worry.”

Hange was at the wheel of Levi’s van, following my directions. This wasn’t the most ideal situation; Mikasa was already suspicious on the phone, but she would never deny helping someone. She is the only person I can think off who would know how to deal with Petra.

“Are you sure about this Eren? You really don’t mind us knowing where you live?” says Hange.

“I trust you guys” I assure her “Just don’t come crawling through my window at night.”

Hange wiggles her eyebrows in the mirror “I’ll leave that for Corporal.”

“About that-” I blush.

“We’re totally cool with it” she continues “You’re perfect for him.”

“Don’t go breaking his heart” Petra adds.

“Not planning on doing that but uh, don’t mention Corporal to my sister and is she asks any questions, Hange you’re the old man’s neighbour and Petra you are…her lover?”

“You told your sister that Corporal is an old man?” Hange laughs “Oh that’s gold.”

“I’m Hange’s girlfriend?” Petra says confused.

“Just please roll with it” I beg.

When we stopped in front of the house, Mikasa was waiting at the door, looking slightly worried.

“Hey Mikasa” I wave.

“You’re Eren’s sister?” Hange asks “Don’t see much of a resemblance, but I see that good looks run in the family.”

“I’m adopted” she replies “Mikasa, and you are?”

“Hange Zoë, pleasure to meet you, the girl cutting of the blow flow to my arm is Petra, your patient.”

Petra loosened her grip on Hange’s arm and managed to give a slight smile.

“Why don’t we go inside?” I say.

We wordlessly follow Mikasa into the house. I felt slightly embarrassed, due to the sheer size of it and how modern it is. I don’t want them to think differently of me.

Mikasa glances at me “Lucky for you I’m home today, I need to study for the science test, you know, the one we are writing in two days.”

“You’re writing a science test?” Hange says excitedly “I can help you study!”

“That’s very kind of you” Mikasa says surprised.

“I just love science! Besides, I imagine you’re worried about his grades, we can’t have our boy failing, now can we?”

Mikasa seemed pleased to hear her statement, it ought to get her off my back for a while, and with Hange helping me, who knows I might not do that bad.

“Okay Petra, would you mind sitting down for me so I can just take a look at your wound?” Mikasa asks.

Petra carefully sits down on the leather couch, holding onto her shirt. Mikasa sits down next to her and gently loosens Petra’s iron grip.

“You did a good job Eren, the stitching is perfect and there’s no sign of infection.”

“I did learn from the best” I wink at her.

“Have you two always been interested in this kind of stuff?” Hange asks.

“We grew up reading medical journals and textbooks, and dad always took us to the hospital, so by the time we joined First Aid, we pretty much already knew everything” I reply.

“We should get started” Mikasa adds “Do you mind if they stay with you? Or would you prefer it just being the two of us?”

Petra was silent for a moment “They need to stand further back, I don’t like feeling crowded."

Hange and I move to sit on the couch opposite of them. Petra clearly didn’t want to be left alone but she also doesn’t want us in her space, maybe that’s why she freaked out so much back at the house.

Mikasa takes the surgical scissors and the tweezers in her one hand and roles up Petra’s shirt, exposing her side.

“I need you to hold your shirt form me so that it’s not in the way” she instructs “Are you ready?”

Petra said wide eyed, shaking slightly “I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t feel anything, just tell me if you want to take a breather then I will stop.”

And so the tedious process began.

Petra was terrified, that much was clear, but Mikasa talked to her the whole time, slowly but surely calming her down as she carefully removed each stitch. It was amazing to see

Mikasa at work, although I have seen her help people a thousand times, her focused energy and calm temperament never failed to impress me.

“And you’re done” she says “It wasn’t that bad now was it?”

“Way to go Petra! You to Mikasa” Hange grins.

“Thank you” Petra laughs nervously “I’ll try to not get stabbed again.”

The colour drains from Mikasa’s face “You were stabbed?”

“Well, won’t you look at the time” Hange jumps up “We should really get going, thanks for the help, Eren, Petra let’s go.”

I have a lot of explaining to do when I get home.

 

“So, how did it go?” Corporal asks.

He was waiting in the kitchen alone, by the look of it; everybody has disbanded to go eat lunch outside in the backyard.

“I fucked up” Petra says “Eren’s sister looked freaked out when I told her how I got hurt.”

“Me too, I dragged them out of there because I started to panic” Hange admits.

“Eren, please don’t disappoint me” Corporal sighs.

“I smiled and waved goodbye while Hange pushed me out the door.”

“Remind me why I like you again Yeager?”

“Gross” Hange sticks out her tongue “Corporal is flirting.”

Corporal tosses a paper cup in her direction “Leave me be shitty glasses, you’ve had my boyfriend the whole day.”

“Boyfriend?” I blush.

“ _Boyfriend_? Wow Corporal, you’re really getting fired up now” Petra laughs.

After much giggling, Hange and Petra left the kitchen, so that we were finally alone.

“You just going to stare at me the whole time or are you going to sit down?” he says.

“I could, I’ll enjoy it.”

He rolls his eyes at me, suppressing a smile. I join him at the small table, also trying not to smile like the idiot I am.

“So since I’m your boyfriend, does that mean I can kiss you?” I ask.

“Is that what’s going on in that head of yours?” he kicks me under the table “Little brat.”

“Come on just give me your hands, please?”

He reluctantly uncrosses his arms and offers me his hands “Now what?”

I take his one hand in my own, brushing my thumb over it and tracing patterns. He sat still, watching me carefully as I brought his hand to my lips.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a while” I mutter against his skin “You have beautiful hands, suited for an artist or a pianist.”

He laughs softly “These battered hands? I have long fingers because I was born to steal, not do pretty things.”

It’s true, his hands bore many tiny scars and are calloused, but despite that I still find them lovely.

I lower his hand, still holding onto it “Don’t put yourself down like that; I think you are very handsome.”

“Easy there boy” his voice was sultry.

“You embarrassed old man?”

“Old man? I’ll make you regret saying that later.”

“Wait what?”

“Eren, you’re needed in the girl’s room! Get your ass in there” Jean’s voice rings from outside the kitchen.

“You heard him” Corporal smirks “Go do your thing.”

 

“I’m not saying they’re bad people, I’m just asking why you would hang around them” Mikasa says.

Mikasa and I were arguing whilst eating our takeout. You know, just your average Wednesday night.

“Because they are my friends and I like spending time with them.”

“I’m not going to win this argument am I” she sighs.

“No you are not, because not everything is a competition. All I am asking you is to respect my choices and not interfere.”

“Something about them seems off to me; I just don’t want you getting mixed up with the wrong crowd. That guy you like, is he also like them?”

“They are people like you and me, the only reason you don’t like them is because you think that they are somehow different from us” I protested “And I am also dating that guy, so don’t you dare say anything bad about him.”

Mikasa gave me a hurt look “Why are you being like this? We used to get along.”

“Things change, you already chose dad’s side, so don’t make me out as the bad guy.”

I leave my half eaten burger on the table, feeling too sick to eat anything. On the other hand, I felt lighter, finally having spoken my mind, even though it hurt her feelings.

I barricaded myself in my room for the rest of the night, listening to music instead of doing the next day’s homework. At this point, I just didn’t care anymore. If Mikasa is going to refuse to take my side, then so be it.

As the hours passed, I grew more restless, not knowing what to do with myself; so when my phone started buzzing at around eleven, I knew it could only be one person.

“You’re calling later than usual” I answer.

“I had to go see Erwin, so I’m feeling pretty pissed” Levi replies “Listen this is going to sound weird, but I am in front of your house. At least I think I am? Hange sucks at directions.”

I jolt out of bed “Stay put, I’ll go outside.”

Before sneaking out of my room, I first checked to see whether Mikasa is awake, which luckily isn’t the case. There was no light shining from underneath her door, so I creeped down the stairs and tried to open the front door as quietly as possible.

“I’m outside, where are you?”

Suddenly a figure appeared before me, making me almost drop my phone.

“Hi there” he chuckles.

I take his hand “Be quiet, my sister is sleeping.”

He nods his head in understanding and allows me to guide him through the house. We made it up the stairs with no problem and Mikasa was still fast asleep it seems. When we entered my room, I closed the door behind me and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Nice place you got” Levi observes.

“It’s embarrassing how big it is, I would prefer someplace smaller.”

He sits down on the edge of my bed, taking in his surroundings “Why are you up so late?”

I shuffle over to the bed to join him, first sitting down next to him and then stretching out so that I was resting my head on his knees.

“I’m getting really tired of saying this but I had a huge fight with Mikasa.”

He starts stroking my hair “It seems all you two ever do is fight.”

“It didn’t use to be like that, there was a time when I could tell her anything and everything” I close my eyes “Can we talk about this later?”

“That’s okay; you tell me when you’re ready.”

“How was the meeting with Erwin?”

“Boring, as usual; I swear that man just loves hearing himself talk. I hate him.”

I reach out to touch his face “How about we forget about all of the bad stuff and just sleep?”

Levi leans into my hand, smiling faintly “That sounds good.”

After talking for a little while longer, we got up and prepared for bed. I went to go brush my teeth; he took of his heavy boots and jacket, tossing them in the corner.

“Do you want something warm to sleep in?” I say, offering him one of my hoodies.  
  
"Thanks” he replies, while pulling it over his head.

It was slightly large on him, especially the sleeves, but I liked the way it looked on him.

“Levi, can I turn the light off?”

“Yes, now hurry up so we can sleep.”

I flip the switch, casting the room into darkness and made my way to bed, slipping under the covers. There was soft thud, which I assume was his pants falling to the floor, and then he was next to me. I turn onto my side and wrap my arms around him.

“Are you comfortable?” he teases.

“Very” I give him a kiss on his cheek “Sleep well.”

He yawns “You too.”

I know that I should be worried about the homework I didn’t do, about the fight with Mikasa and all the other shit that’s going on in my life but, I’m not going too, at least not now.

I can do that tomorrow.


	9. What the heart wants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the morning after, Eren and Mikasa are currently not on speaking terms, so Armin drops by to cheer up his best friend and finds himself in a rather awkward situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been taking inspiration from music lately, often hearing lyrics that describe these characters perfectly. You guys can expect a lot of these from now on!
> 
> You’re dripping like a saturated sunrise  
> You’re spilling like an overflowing sink
> 
> ___________________
> 
> You were a vision in the morning when the light came through  
> I know I’ve only felt religion when I've lied with you
> 
> The top one is for Eren and all his teenage angst, and the bottom one is Levi's feelings for his boy.  
> The song is "Colors" by Halsey
> 
> Are you guys happy with the average chapter length? Do you maybe want something a little longer?

When I woke up this morning, I was curled up on the edge of the bed with only half of my body covered by the blanket and Levi’s arm draped across my face.

Checking my phone, I see that there is still ten minutes left before my alarm is supposed to go off. I decide to make the best of the situation and gently lift his arm of my face and pull the blanket closer. The slight disturbance seemed to have woken him up because, his eyes fluttered open and he rolled over on his side to face me.

“Morning” he says sleepily.

“Good morning, did you sleep well?”

“That was one of the best sleeps I have had in a long while, you?”

“You hog the blanket and kicked me a few times but other than that, yes I slept well.”

“Sorry, I’m not used to sleeping next to someone” he holds out his arms “So get over here.”

I move closer to him, letting him hold me “Can’t we stay like this today?”

“You need to go to school; I won’t have you skipping because of me.”

“You sound like my sister” I murmur.

“Speaking of which, shouldn’t I haul ass out of here before she sees me?”

“I think she’ll leave without me this morning, so there’s no rush.”

We continued to lie together until my alarm went off and Levi kicked me out of bed, telling me to get dressed. I went ahead and took my morning shower, getting dressed in the bathroom. When I returned to the room, Levi had made the bed and was also dressed, still wearing my black hoodie.

“Why do I have a feeling that you’re stealing that?” I laugh.

“Because that’s exactly what I’m doing” he replies “Also I’m giving you a haircut today, that mop on your head is doing nothing for you.”

“Yes sir, anything else?”

“Coffee would be good.”

I had to first check whether Mikasa was still around; even though it was too early to leave for school, I didn’t see her anywhere and her keys were missing from their place near the door.

“Coast is clear!” I call from the foot of the stairs.

Levi sat down at the counter whilst I made him coffee and poured some cereal for me.

“You know, you should really eat more” I advise him.

“Is that so Dr Yeager?” he taunts, taking a sip from his cup “I’ll eat at home; somebody needs to feed all those brats.”

“You guys sorted for lunch?”

“Petra went shopping for groceries yesterday so we’re good.”

I check the time on my phone and hurriedly continue eating my cereal. The sooner I get to school, the sooner I can get started on the homework I avoided.

“Do you need to head out?” he asks.

“I still have a few things to take care of before school starts, sorry for rushing.”

Levi takes a final sip of his coffee, before putting the cup in the basin “It’s fine, I also need to get going.”

I went upstairs again to retrieve my bag and his jacket, which I slung over my arm and found him waiting for me at the door.

“You forgot something” I say.

“Thanks brat wouldn’t want to leave any evidence lying around” he smirks, while slipping it on.

I unlock the door “Sure thing, old man.”

Levi wrinkles his nose “Again with that? I sneak into your house in the middle of the night, like a teenager, and you still call me old?”

“I guess you still got it” I joke.

Levi closes the distance between us, snaking his arms around my neck and pulling me into a kiss.  I freeze for a moment, unsure what to do, but my hands move to rest on his hips, my fingers sliding under his clothes to touch his bare skin.

“Still think I’m old?” he breathes next to my ear.

I run my hand down his spine, which made him tremble slightly “Not at all, Corporal.”

And then the door swung open.

Armin was standing there, wide eyed and blushing bright red. Who could blame him? I had my hand shoved under Levi’s clothes, exposing his back slightly, and his mouth was currently hovering over my neck.

“I believe we have company, Eren” Levi purrs.

I slowly release him, stepping away “Shit, Armin I-”

Armin holds up his hand “I’ll give you guys a minute to, I don’t know, do whatever it was you were doing.”

“That’s sweet kid, but I was leaving anyway” Levi winks at me “See you later.”

I frown, watching him stroll out the door, stone faced as usual and not the slightest bit as shaken as I am.

Armin looks at me, stunned “Who is _that_ and why was he in your house?”

“He’s my boyfriend” I say slowly “And he stayed over last night.”

Armin shook his head “When you said he was an older guy, I thought you meant college student age. And he stayed over? Does Mikasa know about this? She told me to come by this morning, that you guys had a huge fight and-”

“Easy there, you’re rambling.”

“And oh gosh, I walked in on you while you were doing that” he blushes again.

“It’s called kissing, and that happened to be our first real kiss.”

And what a kiss that was. My heart is still racing.

“Mikasa is going to kill you and then skin that guy alive.”

“Only if she finds out, which is not going to happen because, we aren’t telling her.”

“You want me to lie?”

“Please, Armin” I beg “You don’t understand the position I’m in right now, he’s the only thing that’s keeping me grounded.”

“Eren” he says sadly.

“So please, please don’t tell her.”

He sighs “You really like him that much?”

“Yes” I reply softly.

“I don’t like lying, but if he means that much to you then I’ll stay quiet for now.”

I throw my arms around Armin, hugging him “Thank you.”

He pats my back, laughing “You’re my best friend and if he makes you happy then I’m happy, but you’re still not of the hook; you need tell me what happened between you and Mikasa and about this nameless boyfriend.”

“Alright, that sounds like a fair trade to me.”

 

I told Armin as much as I could about Levi, without revealing anything about The Wings of Freedom. He admitted that he was suspicious about my sudden urge to help the community and wasn’t at all surprised when I told him that I spend most of my days at Levi’s house.

“I wasn’t lying about the fixing the house part, his place is in need of some serious TLC.”

“So you help him and his roommates repair the house and that’s how you became friends?”

“Yes, it took a while though, he’s had a rough life so far” I smile at the thought “I want to make it better for him, even though I still don’t know how I’m going to do it.”

“Just don’t put yourself in any danger” he says nervously.

I give him a questioning look.

“I’ve known you my entire life Eren, when you have your heart set on something you go all out, despite the risks involved.”

That may be true, but for _him,_ I would do anything. I want nothing more than to make his dream come true.

We were sitting outside on one of the benches, like we do every morning when Mikasa passed us.

Armin smiled, waving at her but she continued walking.

“Why does she have to be like this?” I shake my head “I’m the one she’s mad at; I don’t see why she has to avoid you.”

“You know how Mikasa is, besides, we talked this morning and she was cool with me” he reassures me “She told me that she would be keeping her distance for a while.”

“All this just because she doesn’t like my friends or boyfriend; is she mad because I’m dating a guy? Maybe Hange and Petra came on a little too strong.”

“You know she couldn’t care less about whether you’re dating a guy, girl or anybody in between.  This is just a thought, but maybe she’s feeling a little bit left out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well since we were kids it has only ever been the three of us and after your mom died, you and Mikasa really started to depend on each other, now here you are; making new friends outside our group, falling in love. It must be tough for her to deal with.”

I didn’t know what to say. On the one hand I understood perfectly how she must feel; alone and out of place. That’s exactly how I have been feeling for years. The little interest dad has for his children is given to her, the smart one, the future doctor, the one he talks about with his co-workers.  Meanwhile I’m treated as the failure; not smart enough to be a doctor, but not too stupid to be a total disgrace.

Just average Eren Yeager.

“Hey are you okay?” Armin asks.

I look down at my hands, realizing that I have been clenching them.

“I’m sorry, I’m just feeling really…annoyed.”

Maybe I should go to the Dojo to practice my karate. It has been a long while since I went out and sparred with other people. At the very least it would help me to focus and get rid of my pent up anger.  

The bell rings and we get up to go to class. I wasn’t in the mood to go at all, I would much rather spend the day with Levi than be forced to listen at my teachers drone on about work I don’t understand.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, so I paused and pulled it out to see a message from Levi.

_Pay attention in class Yeager. Try not to miss me too much._

I huff a laugh, and quickly type my response.

_Yes sir. Can’t wait to see you again._

_“_ Eren, hurry up!” Armin calls.

I pocket my phone, smiling “Coming!”

 

“Morning Corporal, sleep well?” Hange says sweetly.

She was lazing in the kitchen, having already started making breakfast.

“I did and you?”

“Fine, how’s Eren doing?”

“Had a fight with his sister again” I sigh “I honestly don’t know how he deals with it.”

“I think a certain someone is helping him get through it” Hange says “I don’t think you know how much he relies on you.”

“I do and it’s making me nervous, he’s always there for me when I need him, what if I mess up?”

 “You won’t.”

“How can you say that, sounding so sure of yourself?”

“Because when I look at him, he reminds me of you. You know how you felt when you were his age, so you’ll know what he needs, how to help him, but for now just be there, be the person you needed when you were seventeen.”

“That boy, he’s got me feeling all sorts of emotions” I admit “I think I love him.”

“Aw Levi!” Hange croons “That is so sweet.”

“Hange, I thought we were having a serious discussion here.”

“We were until you dropped that bomb” she smiles “Hearing that makes me very happy.”

Now if only I can muster up the courage to tell him. Since that day in the park, I somehow feel lighter than ever before and my heart goes wild every time I see that face of his or hear his laugh. 

For _him_ , I would do anything.

“I’ve been thinking, recently with everything that’s been happening, about that thing we talked about the last time we got drunk.”

Hange’s face turns serious “What are you on about Levi?”

“I think you know exactly what I’m talking about. The stage is set and all the pieces are finally here, it’s only a matter of getting started.”

“It’s a dangerous game to play, especially when we consider who the opponent is.”

Hange’s right. This game will be very risky; one wrong move and we’re done for, not just the two of us but Petra and all the other recruits as well.

It has been thirteen long years since I joined this group. Thirteen years I have spent as nothing more than a slave, a chained dog.

Their faces flash before me; Hange’s toothy grin, Petra’s shy smile, the fearful eyes of the new recruits and of course Eren.

Without him I wouldn’t have finally decided to do this.

To bring Commander Erwin to his knees.


	10. Too many villains for my liking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren can't seem to catch a break, or rather his anxiety won't let him. Then there's also the fact that there are many shady characters in his life. What's a boy to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I told you this was only gonna hurt  
> If I warned you that the fire's gonna burn  
> Would you walk in?  
> Would you let me do it first?  
> Do it all in the name of love  
> Would you let me lead you even when you're blind?  
> In the darkness, in the middle of the night  
> In the silence, when there's no one by your side  
> Would you call in the name of love?
> 
> In the Name of Love by Martin Garrix, Bebe Rexha
> 
> Sorry for the long wait! Thank you for the continued support of this fanfic. 
> 
> As always, enjoy!

“Just please don’t butcher my hair.”

Levi flicks my head “If I didn’t know what I was doing I wouldn’t have offered.”

We were in the tiny bathroom, downstairs; I was seated on the toilette and Levi stood facing me, contemplating what to do with my hair.

“We can shave the sides and back a little bit, but not too short though and then trim the top” he says “I think that will suit you pretty well.”

“Hey, I trust you, so just do your thing.”

His mouth tugs into a suppressed smile at the sound of the word “Who would have thought that I would decide to keep you around.”

It was not long ago since that very first day I met him, probably a month and a half already.

“You couldn’t resist my charm and good looks” I grin.

He snorts and plugs in the clippers, switching it on at the wall.

“You ready?” he asks.

“Yes Corporal.”

 The end result was better than I had expected it to be. Levi managed to turn my unruly mop of hair into something manageable and good looking.

“Damn, Yeager” he whistles “You look…”

“Dashing?” I suggest.

“More mature” his hand lingers next to my cheek.

I lean into his touch, enjoying the sensation of his skin against mine.

“Thank you for doing this.”

He smiles at me, tenderly, so I was rather annoyed when his face turned stoic and he removed his hand, turning towards the door.

“Ymir?” he enquires.

“Corporal” she begins nervously “Some of the guys wanted to know, that if you can, would you…maybe cut their hair also? Please?”

Krista’s head pops up behind her “Sasha and I would appreciate a haircut too, please.”

He seemed slightly surprised at their request but I could see that he was pleased, that they were slowly starting to feel more comfortable around him, no longer averting their eyes.

“That’s a long line up” he says.

The two girls look slightly confused, unsure of his vague answer.

“Well don’t just stand there, tell those boys to get ready and send in the first one, I’ll handle you and potato girl last.”

“Yes sir, thank you!” Krista beams at Ymir, who returns the smile.

“Potato girl?” I question.

He shakes his head; incredulously “Our potatoes were mysteriously disappearing until Krista caught Sasha eating them last night.”

“Raw?”

“She steamed them, luckily.”

It occurred to me that prior to joining The Wings of Freedom she and Commie didn’t have the privilege to open a cupboard or fridge when they were hungry or wanted a snack. Even after joining, they must have relied heavily on the meals the group provided.

“I’m going to get back to work” I say “The hall isn’t going to paint itself.”

“Good luck with that” he waves.

I would have preferred a kiss, but I could hear people approaching, so I stuck my tongue out at him and he wrinkled his nose in response.

“What are you, 12?” he scolds.

“On a scale of one to ten, definitely” I counter.

“Get out.”

“Okay, okay” I laugh.

When I left the bathroom I was greeted by Jean and Marco, the former roughly shouldered me out of the way.

“Nice hair, Yeager” he comments.

“I hope Corporal’s hand slips.”

“Screw you man” he growls.

 

In the hall leading to the living room, Connie, Ymir and Krista were busy painting the one wall a light shade of grey.

“Perfect timing” Ymir says “Do you mind running outside and fetching another can of paint, please?”

“I’m on it” I reply, jogging down the hall and out the back door.

I was surprised to find Annie outside, seated on one of the empty paint cans. For a brief moment it appeared she had a phone held to her ear, but when she saw me put it away.

“Sorry, I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”

She raises a pale brow “Not particularly, what brings you out here?”

I was surprised to find het talking to me; since she came here she hasn’t been mixing very well with the others, except with her two burly friends, Reiner and Berthold.

“We need more paint, are you taking a break?”

“Yes, I was helping painting upstairs” she says, eyeing me carefully “But I suppose you know that, you seem rather close with our seniors.”

“Only because I’ve been around here longer, I guess” I explain.

This one, I need to look out for. Although she may be quiet, she is very observant and has this air of danger to her; Annie is not someone who I want to mess with.

She kept her icy eyes trained on me, not breaking eye contact even once.

“I heard form Jean that you do karate.”

“Yeah” I grin “Do you do anything similar?”

“Street-fighting is more my style, of course he took it as a challenge, so I kicked his ass within five seconds.”

“Nice, maybe you can show me some move next time? I would be cool to spar with you, if you want?” I ask.

She gave me a faint smile “I’m not going to go easy on you Yeager.”

I had a sinking feeling that she wasn’t only referring to our sparring match.

 

Thursday came, and I got a call from telling me that they were short on waiters and that I had to come in as a replacement. I’m writing a math test tomorrow, and have been studying for it the whole week with the help of Hange. Corporal even ordered me to not come in today.

And yet here I am at work, paging through my textbook in between serving customers. Just when it looked like I was going to get a gap, the bell at the door chimed, signalling that a new customer just entered.

“Eren you’ve got a table to attend!” someone calls.

I put my book down to look up at the new customer only to freeze.

Although he is much older than when I saw him on the photo his appearance is still more or less the same; tall, broad shouldered, blond.

It was none other than Commander.

I force myself to remain calm, even though every step I take towards his table makes me want to panic even more. I wish that I could turn around, hide and do anything except look him in the eye.

The man who so cruelly broke Levi was now smiling at me, a predators grin.

“Hello, my name is Eren” saying my name left a bitter taste in my mouth “And I’ll be your server, is there anything I can get you?”

His eyes slowly travelled from my legs to my face. I clenched my jaw to keep myself from shuddering at his unwanted gaze.

“I’ll just have a short macchiato, please” he replies.

I nod my head and speed walk towards the barista, somehow still feeling his eyes on my back.

“One short macchiato, please” I tell the girl.

“Coming right up, you’re lucky, that guy is pretty handsome” she remarks.

“He’s not exactly my type” I joke.

“Pity, looks like he’s got money, if you go for him you’ll have yourself a nice sugar daddy” she laughs.

I didn’t have the gall to tell her that my father has enough money and there is no doubt a savings account with my name on it, that and I am now happily taken. The fact that I am dating his ex makes me feel like my life has turned into one huge TV drama. 

I carefully take the cup, praying that he doesn’t notice my shaking hands, as I gently place it in front of him.

“Thank you, Eren” he winks.

I nod my head and retreat, first slipping into the kitchen and then outside to the narrow alley behind the café. I hastily punch in Levi’s number and wait for him to pick up.

“Hi there, aren’t you at work?” he says.

“Yes, but I’m kind of freaking out a little” I reply.

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s here, at the café” I add quietly “Erwin.”

Levi swears “Just relax; he doesn’t know you so you have nothing to worry about. He’s not hitting on you is he?”

“He keeps checking me out, I don’t like it.”

“Typical” he sighs “Listen, how about I meet you at work when your shift ends, then we can talk about it.”

“Okay” I breathe “Thanks for calming me down.”

“Keep a straight face and don’t let him get to you, I believe in you” he says before saying goodbye.

I take a deep breath and head back inside, ready to face him. As soon as he saw me, he waved me over.

I force a smile “Can I get you anything else sir?”

 “Just the bill, please.”

The fact that he’s leaving made me happy, so I went to bring him his bill as quickly as possible. I patiently waited at his table as he put down his money.

“Here’s your tip” he says, holding out my money.

“That’s a large tip sir” I remark.

“Nonsense, you’re a young man…seventeen, eighteen?”

“Eighteen” I swallow.

He rises from his chair and without anybody noticing, slips the notes into my apron. I bit down hard on my teeth to prevent launching myself across the room, especially when his hand brushed over my hip.

If we weren’t in such a public place I would have gladly kneed him in the balls.

 

Levi showed up just before closing time. Lucky for me I didn’t have to stay behind and lock up so I was free to leave.

When I joined him outside, he held out his arms and I happily melted into his embrace.

“I’m afraid to ask how things went with Commander” he remarks “But judging by your face, I get the idea that something happened.”

“He touched me.”

Levi stepped back, his face filled with barely contained rage “Where?”

I explain to him what happened; he sighs and shakes his head.

“What was he thinking? Treating you like some kind of stripper, and in public too! I fucking hate that guy” he fumes.

“Hey” I place my hand on his chest “I appreciate you being all protective, but we shouldn’t let this spoil our time together now.”

“You’re right, what do you want to do anyway?”

“How about I take you on a date” I suggest “Hope you like ice cream.”

He chuckles “A date sounds fun; I don’t think I’ve ever been on one though.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe.”

He takes my hand and we walk down the street to where my motorcycle is parked.

“To be fair, most people were scared of me at school, so it’s completely understandable.”

“Levi, what did you want to be when you were my age?”

“Now that you mention it, I’m not really sure, maybe a cop? I wanted to protect people” he shrugs “But that’s many moons ago, are you still unsure of what you want to do?”

I hand him the spare helmet and then pull mine on.

“Yes” I groan.

He swings his leg over the bike and puts his arms around me waist "You'll figure it out eventually, just take your time."

Unfortunately for me, time is not an option. My father is bound to start to breathing down my neck the closer we get to the application deadline. I clear the thought from my mind; I'm with Levi now, we barely get time alone like this, I shouldn't waste it worrying about stuff like this.

The motorcycle roars to life and we fly down the street.

 

I returned home after about three hours, feeling pretty good, of course I always feel happy when I'm with Levi. He has a way of calming me, slowly bringing me back to earth when it feels like I'm drowning in my anxiety. So when I unlocked the door, stepping inside the house, I expected to be greeted by the empty living room, as usual. 

Except this time, it wasn't empty.

"Eren" he greets "You're home late."

On the couch sat my father, a glass of red wine in his hand. He peered at me over his glasses, the same menacing look that he seems to reserve only for me.

"I think it's time we have a talk."


	11. Ludus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The confrontation Eren has been dreading has finally become a reality, how he handles it will change his family dynamic, either for better or worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Greeks thought of Ludus as a playful form of love, as seen between young lovers. We experience this type of love during the early stages of a romantic relationship; flirting, teasing, the feeling of your heart fluttering. I thought the word suited the general theme of this chapter. I love writing Levi's perspective, mostly because of the fact that he's like a teenager that's in love for the first time!
> 
> Important!! Guys, this chapter contains some hate, provided by none other than good old Grisha Yeager. 
> 
> Coming out isn't always easy or possible, so please stay safe fam!

My hands were folded neatly on my lap as I obediently sat on the chair opposite my father. At the moment he sat there wordlessly, swirling his wine whilst paging through a magazine.

“Listen dad” I begin “I have homework to do, so can we just please get this over with?”

He turns his attention to me and says “Do you think you are in the position to be able to speak to me like that? I told you to sit down so that we can talk, when I choose to do so is up to me.”

I didn’t want to deal with this.

I wish that I could get up, walk away from him.

He takes a sip of wine “Mikasa tells me you have been rather busy lately.”

“Yes, with my part time job and studying, it’s been hectic.”

“Is that so? Then how is it that you still have time to gallivant around with your…friends? I also heard that they are a different sort.”

“Dad-” I start.

It felt like someone punched me in the gut.

“Don’t interrupt me while I’m speaking” he says coldly “Really Eren, I expected better from you, think of my reputation. I can’t have you hanging around with just anybody, the Arlert boy I can tolerate but not a bunch of hooligans.”

Something in me snapped at that moment.

Up until recently I have always been scared of my father; nothing about him was paternal, I had no loving feelings towards him but yet…I possessed an amount of respect for him that was cultivated out of fear. That’s the kind of man he is, one who believes it healthy for his son to have a good dose of fear for his father.

But I won’t stand for that any longer.

“Well _dad_ ” I drawl “Then you are absolutely going to love it when I tell you that I am dating one of them.”

His head snaps towards me and his eyes narrowed “What did you just say?”

Leaning back into my chair I speak “I said that I am dating one of those hooligans that you don’t want me to be associated with.”

“Damnit Eren!” he slams his glass down on the coffee table “I won’t stand for this. You don’t know what you’re doing; getting mixed up with a girl of that class.”

“I don’t recall saying that I am dating a girl.”

And that’s when all hell broke loose.

My father was not happy, to say the least, which resorted to him flinging vile slurs at me in an attempt to upset me.

But that’s the thing; I didn’t get upset. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Levi and the gang is that I should never let anybody bully me, no matter who they are. That, and if all else fails, fake it till you make it.

It turns out that I’m a better actor than I thought, the careful swagger that I adorned throughout the conversation left me grinning at him as he continues raging.

“What would your mother say about this? Do you think that she would stand for this?” he spits.

“Dad, what’s going on?”

At some point Mikasa had drifted out of her room, most likely being disturbed by his shouting.

“Did you know about this?” he asks her “That he’s…”

“In love with a guy?” I offer.

Mikasa assesses the situation before turning towards our father “Is this what the fights about?”

“Surprising, right?” I laugh “We’re fighting about something besides my future.”

“You think this is funny, boy?”

I rise from my chair, moving closer to Mikasa “Not particularly, considering how rude you are towards me.”

“Mikasa” he pleads “Tell me, tell me that you’re just as upset as I am.”

For a moment she just looks at him, processing what he is implying.

“I’m sorry dad, but I don’t see a problem, Eren is free to love whoever he wants.”

  He throws his arms up in the air “I can’t believe this, after all I have done for you and this is how you repay me? I expect this defiance from your brother, not you.”

Mikasa flinched at his words. I didn’t blame her, couldn’t- she has never been on the receiving end of our father’s rage.

“This fight is between you and me, leave her out of it, she did nothing wrong” I say calmly.

“You think you’re a man now?” he huffs “I’m sorry to say this _son_ , but you are still far too young to take me on.”

“Dad, please just calm down” Mikasa begs.

And then it happened.

His hand lashed out, Mikasa stood there wide eyed and unmoving. I threw my body in front of her and let his hand, quick and sharp as a whip, lash across my face.

I stumble back, awestruck at the sharp pain that spread across my cheek. Mikasa was at my side instantly, holding onto my arm, asking me whether I was okay.

 “A real man wouldn’t have tried to hit his daughter” I sneer at my father.

He stared at me, taken aback.

“Get out of _my_ house” I continue “And don’t you dare set one foot in here again.”

Our father stared at us for a few seconds before wordlessly walking to the door, picking up his briefcase and jacket and shuts it firmly behind him.

“Mikasa are you alright?”

She pulled me into a tight hug, her body shaking slightly.

“I’m sorry” she repeats “I’m so sorry.”

I rub her back “Everything is okay now, I’ve got you.”

After comforting her for a while longer, I ushered her upstairs to go take a bath, promising that we can talk after she calmed down. In the meantime I went into the kitchen and opened up my dad’s liquor cabinet, looking for something potent. I settled for a bottle of vodka and poured myself a shot, gladly throwing it back.

I was tempted to empty all his expensive wine down the drain, as a sort of therapy, but decided against it, at least for now.

“Hey” Mikasa says softly.

She settles herself at the counter, eyeing the bottle of vodka.

“Want some?” I ask.

“No thanks” she replies “I didn’t know you drink.”

“Not usually, but I figured today is a special occasion.”

She sighs “This is a mess, I didn’t think he would react this way, I just wanted him to talk to you, but clearly I was wrong…I’m sorry.”

“You were worried about me, I get that, you just didn’t know how to deal with it yet, that’s why you asked dad, am I right?”

“Yes, but after this I’m not sure I can talk to him again” she shakes her head “What you did just now was…”

“Stupid?”

“Amazing; you stood up to him, even though he was like that you didn’t back down once. You’ve really grown up Eren, so how is it that I haven’t noticed it until now?”

“I’ve changed a lot after meeting them” I manage a smile “They taught me so much, especially Levi.”

Her eyes became slightly teary “Is that his name?”

“Yeah, he’s the strongest person I know. He’s been through so much, is still dealing with a lot of crap but despite that he’s always there for me” I explain “I love him.”

Mikasa reaches out her hand and I take it, holding it tight.

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me and I’m really happy to hear that you found someone so special.”

“I’ll always be here for you, no matter what” I promise.

She squeezes my hand “Me too.”

 

The next morning we continued our routine as usual. Last night’s events served as the ice breaker that we so desperately needed.

Everything was slowly starting to return back to normal.

Although I highly doubt that my father would return, I did make a call to change our locks and keys, just in case. From now on I will do anything to keep this family of two safe.

When Levi called, I answered the phone, feeling more giddy than usual.

“Morning handsome” I say.

Levi laughs “Good morning to you too, you sound very happy.”

“I am; shit hit the fan last night, so I decided to finally do something about it.”

“Please tell me you didn’t do anything stupid, you’re not in trouble are you?”

“I wish it was that simple, I’ll tell you everything later today.”

“Alright, that won’t bother me at all the whole day” he replies, dripping with sarcasm.

“Do you miss me?”

“Maybe, do you miss me?”

“Well…” I trail off.

“Brat, don’t get cocky with me.”

Mikasa waves at me, indicating that it’s time to leave.

“I need to go now” I clear my throat “I love you.”

“Y-you” he stutters “Oh damn Eren, wait-”

I hang up, smiling at myself.

“What’s with that evil look on your face?” Mikasa asks.

“Nothing.”

I wasn’t lying when I told him that I love him. The thought of him mulling over my words until I see him after school entertained me.

I can’t wait to see his face.

 

I never thought Eren could be such a little shit.

He hung up on me, after saying _that_. I wasn’t sure whether I should commend him on his self-confidence or scold him for leaving me a blushing, stammering mess.

Hange and Petra found my state to be hilarious, the recruits; not so much. I was slightly pissed off this morning and they noticed it. I blame it on the fact that he beat me to it, saying it first.

But I made sure he got the message, literally. Before Kirstein left to school, I cornered him and told him to give Eren a message: That he was in trouble.

I did this in the hope that Jean would tease him throughout the day and to plant a seed of worry in that head of his.

Two can play this game.

“Hey Levi” Hange taps my shoulder “Looks like Eren and Jean have arrived.”

I wanted to laugh at the idea of those two on a motorcycle together, but I kept my face stoic.

I put down my paintbrush “Tell him to come upstairs.”

“Alright Corporal” she smirks.

I climbed the stairs, taking them two at a time and disappear into my room. I felt like a love-struck teenager, anxious to see him. I comb my fingers through my hair, I wasn’t exactly in the best shape; my shirt is paint splattered and I wore my oldest pair of jeans. Just as I reach for my deodorant, there was a soft knock at my door before he enters the room.

He bore a playful smile, keeping those green eyes trained on me.

“You wanted to see me?” he inquires.

“Yes” I saunter closer “You are in some serious trouble, soldier.”

“Oh, what are you going to do with me Corporal?” he counters sweetly.

The last time I played this game, I was the one being called in, and not for the same reason Eren is here, no Commander kept me on a tight leash and loved to toy with me.

But no longer. This game will have a different outcome.

Eren still stood there, leaning against the door, his arms crossed. He seemed to be waiting for my next move.

I beckon him towards me. He raises his brow and slowly walks to me. When he stood before me, I place my hand under his chin and brush my thumb across his lip.

“You beat me to it, this morning” I admit “And didn’t even give me a chance to say it back.”

He catches my fingers “Are you really mad about it?”

“Of course not, I just felt like teasing you, payback if you will” I take a deep breathe “I love you.”

A blush spreads across his face and he lets out a short laugh “Me too, I love you.”

It felt like my heart was about to burst at any moment. I never would have thought that one person could make me so happy.

 

Eren leans in to kiss me but I stop him.

“Oh no, don’t get carried away now, you need to tell me about what happened last night. Don’t leave me hanging like that again, you are the sole reason that I’m going to age faster than necessary.”

“Levi, can’t we do this later?”

“Responsibility first, pleasure after.”

“Fine” he groans “It all started when my dad suddenly showed up.”

He then proceeded to tell me of the chaos that unfolded when he confronted his father. Things escalated quickly it seems, but luckily he dealt with it before the fight got to serious.

“It took a lot of guts to do that; you’re very brave for standing up against him like that and for protecting your sister.”

Eren was currently lying on top of me, whilst I stroked his hair.

“I just couldn’t stand it any longer, he’s one of the reasons Mikasa and I had this rift between us. No one hurts my sister.”

“I’m proud of you, you’re really amazing, you know that?”

He gave me surprised look, as if it was the first time someone told him that. The thought saddened me, that he might have never been praised.

Eren pushes up on his arms, staring down at me, his face hopeful.

“What’s with that expression?” I purr “You want something?”

“A kiss” he breathes.

This kid, I think, he’ll be the death of me. I pull him down by his shirt and kiss him, feeling him smiling against my lips. His legs straddle my hips, which took me by surprise; I didn’t think he had it in him to be so bold. In return I drag my lips down his neck to his collarbone.  The bed makes a terrible creaking sound; both of us freeze at the sound of it and look at each other for a second before Eren starts laughing.

“It’s an old bed!”

“I didn’t say anything” he replies “It was just at an awkward moment, you know?”

I hook my arm around his neck, wrestling him down so that he was lying on his side.

I nestle closer to him “No more kisses for you.”

“But-”

“Sleep, just close your eyes and sleep next to me."

"What about work? he asks.

"Doesn't matter" I yawn "If anybody gets suspicious, we just tell them that we were talking about important shit."

Although I usually don't condone this type of behavior- work is always a priority, hell, I was the one who lectured him on being responsible- I figured that the kid needed some cuddles and time to switch of his brain.

I listen to his steady breathing, as we lay on the too small bed, and hope that when the time comes that I can also be as brave as him and finally face me demons.

 


	12. We take it easy (for once)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a Friday! Somewhat of a lazy chapter, everyone is taking it easy and just relaxing for once, although even a peaceful day in the life of Eren and Levi isn't without a little drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious to know what you guys would want after I finish up this fic. If all goes as planned I will be wrapping up The Quest for Freedom at around 20-25 chapters. I know it seems like a long way to go, but I need to start planning. I was thinking maybe doing Voltron or another Yuri on Ice? I would appreciate some feedback.
> 
> Also:  
> HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!

“Levi, at least try to look like you’re paying attention.”

 “Sorry, I zoned out after you went on a tangent about some drug lord.”

Erwin frowns at me “I’m still on that tangent, and for good reason.”

We were in Erwin’s office, located in his not so crappy apartment- at least by slum standards. The two bedroom flat had been converted into his own private residence, away from the original headquarters, where he spends most of his time brooding and rubbing his hands together.

 “What do you want me to do Erwin?” I sigh “Tell them: don’t do drugs, because it will fuck you up? As much as I want to help these kids, I can’t do it alone.”

“Which is why we should take care of that drug lord and his cronies, they’re a small enough group and we’ll benefit from expanding our area.”

“How do you want it done? Do you want me to scare them, rough them up a bit or…” I drag my finger across my throat “Shall we go for the effective route?”

“Just persuade them to leave the area and use force if necessary” he continues “If there are any young ones among them offer them a place among us, the sooner they get out, the better.”

Erwin might be a total dick ninety nine percent of the time, but at least he still looks out for the kids who need help, always giving them a second chance.

“Great, can I leave now?”

“Why so eager?” he leans forward, his face inches from mine “Stick around, let’s have some fun.”

I roll my eyes at him “It’s a Friday, Commander, cut me some slack. I’ve got places to go, people to see.”

“You have your eye on someone.”

I stare at him, blankly “Maybe, maybe not.”

“I’ve been lenient these last few years; letting you do your own thing, but don’t think that I’ve let go of you.”

“Who says I’m yours to keep?”

Erwin sinks back in his chair, glowering at me.

I gave him a wolfish grin; that seemed to have shut him up for now. I rise from my chair and sling my jacket over my shoulder.

“See you later Commander.”

It felt good, sassing him like that. Now I can finally go home, back to the craziness and my small family. Since it’s a Friday, Eren should be there already.

Hopefully the brat hasn’t caused too much trouble.

 

My face slams into the dirt as Annie flips me over.

“That’s the third time you’re eating dirt Yeager” she scolds “ _Focus_.”

“It’s kind of hard to when you keep knocking my ass to the ground.”

A hint of a smile crosses her face as she helps me to my feet.

“Just give up man” Connie says “You’re just going to hurt yourself.”

“He’s already spent” Jean remarks.

“Shut up horse face, you gave up after the first time.”

Jean blushes a deep red before muttering something about being responsible and getting back to work.

Annie and I started our sparring session as soon as I came here and have been at it since. Some of the recruits, which consisted of Connie, Reiner, Berthold and Ymir, decided to sit outside and watch as I repeatedly get my ass kicked.

“Are you guys still at it?” Sasha calls from the backdoor.

“Sasha, you better not be raiding the kitchen again!” Ymir shouts.

She walks over to us “I’m hungry but Petra keeps telling me to wait for Corporal to get back from his meeting.”

“That might take a while” Ymir snorts.

Connie shoves Ymir’s shoulder “Don’t start with that again, those are old rumours.”

“What rumours?”

Everyone turns their attention to me.

“You know; about Corporal’s visits to Commander’s office.”

“Don’t sugar-coat it, Springer” Ymir sighs “Most people think that those two are doing the do, and these so called ‘meetings’ are just a cover.”

A lump forms in my throat.

 “So what do you think Ymir?” Reiner says mockingly.

“Corporal’s not a bad guy, but honestly, after all the things I’ve heard of him it really wouldn’t surprise me if he is Commander’s who-”

“ _Shut up_ ” I growl.

She turns to me surprised “Excuse me?”

I stood there, fists balled and shaking, trying really hard not to launch myself at her. How could she say that, after all he’s done for them?

I wanted to scream at them that what they’ve all heard is lies, that Corporal wants nothing to do with that man, hates him with a fiery passion. But I couldn’t, so instead I took a deep breathe, thanked Annie for her help and headed inside.

I didn’t feel like working, so I decided to pay Hange a visit. Most of them avoid going down there so it’s the perfect place to go and cool of.

“Can I come in?” I call from the stairs.

I hear a scraping sound, before I see Hange wheeling to the stairs on her office chair.

“Eren! Of course you can come in; you’re the only one that visits me.”

I rest my back against the wall and sink down to the floor, pulling my knees towards me.

“What’s up kid? She pushed up her glasses “Mama Hange is here to help.”

“They were talking shit about Corporal.”

“I see, this upset you, I’m guessing?”

“Obviously! They said that Levi is _his…_ ” I bite my tongue “You know.”

Hange looks at me sadly “You need to understand Eren; they don’t know him like we do. They see him, this cold and intimidating person, and judge him based on that, believing stories that other people spread out of spite.”

“He knows what everyone is saying behind his back? And he’s not doing anything about it?”

“How else is he going to know who he can trust? He’s not disliked by everybody, some people secretly support him. I’m not sure how much he’s told you, but he’s busy with something that could possibly change everything; our situation, the state of the Wings of Freedom…”

 What exactly is Levi up to? I knew better than to ask Hange to explain, if I’m supposed to know then he will tell me.

Hange and I turn our attention to the stairs, which someone was coming down from.

“Hey there Corporal” Hange greets “How was the meeting?”

Levi is carrying a pizza box which he shoves into Hange’s hands.

“Depressing” he ruffles my hair before sinking down next to me, laying his head on my shoulder.

I share a worried glance with Hange, who was busy chewing on a piece of pizza. I didn’t know what to say so I let my fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck and pressed a kiss on the top of his head.

“Can I have a slice?” I ask.

Hange wheels closer, offering the box to me.

“Thanks, do you want a slice too?”

He reluctantly takes a slice and nibbles on it. It seems his mind is working overtime today.

“Where’s Petra?” I ask.

“She’s with the kids upstairs, keeping the peace and what not” Hange answers “I think she enjoys their company, she’s smiling more these days.”

I too have noticed that Petra is starting to climb out of her shell; she’s more friendly and vocal than she was before, no longer only keeping to herself or trying to hide her presence when in the company of others.

Levi was nuzzling my neck, so I put my arm over his shoulder, holding him close. I can feel his warm breathe, tickling my throat and becoming more steady.

Hange whispers “Looks like he’s finally calming down.”

“I think he’s falling asleep” I whisper back.

She snorts, but covers her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from laughing. This indeed is a rare sight; I’ve never seen him keel over like this, especially somewhere this uncomfortable. It made me wonder whether he is getting enough sleep or was simply overwhelmed by Erwin.

I wanted to eat more pizza, but I feared that I would wake him, should I move. I shifted slightly and made myself comfortable; if Levi’s going to take a nap, then I’m going to take a nap.

Hange quietly gets up to go get us a spare blanket, throwing it over us, before collapsing on her own bed. I could hear the footsteps and voices of the other inhabitants above us, but it didn’t stop me from closing my eyes and falling asleep.

 

I was vaguely aware of being poked awake by Levi. I swatted his hand away, earning me jab to the ribs, which prompted me to finally open my eyes.

“What do you want old man?”

Levi scowls at me “We’ve been sleeping the entire afternoon; it’s time to wake up.”

“Why?” I wrap my around his chest “This is comfy.”

“That is true, but I would like to do other things beside sleep away the day with you, not that it isn’t fun.”

“What kind of things?” I grin.

“Nothing like _that_ Yeager” he says, giving me an incredulous look “How about we go out and do something, it’s not like anybody is being productive today.”

“Do you maybe want to meet Mikasa and Armin?”

Levi was quiet for a moment “Are you sure?”

“I don’t want to pressure you, only if you want to” I assure him.

“Meeting them would be the polite thing to do and I know how important they are to you. Why not?”

An excited feeling filled my chest, so I ushered Levi up the stairs, which made him laugh, and we went up to his room, quietly so that we wouldn’t wake the others who were sleeping scattered throughout the house.

“What do I wear?” he asks.

“Just dress like usual, so maybe put on a clean shirt and you’re good to go.”

“Right” he breathes “I want to make a good impression.”

When Levi pulls his shirt over his head, my breathe hitched in my throat.

“Wow.”

His back was more muscular than I imagined, but what surprised me most was the tattoo of a singular wing on his left shoulder blade. The wing was stretched out, like a bird’s during flight and continued all the way to his arm.

“I didn’t know you had a tattoo” I remark.

He pulls on a black long sleeved shirt “Most people don’t notice it since my sleeves always manage to cover it somehow, do you like it?”

“It’s really cool, when did you get it?”

Levi moves to sit on the bed, putting on his boots “I was about twenty one, I don’t regret getting it, it’s important to me.”

“So there’s a meaning behind it?”

“Sort of; it is a reminder for me that even though I might be chained down, and I don’t have my freedom, I shouldn’t ever give up, instead I need to learn to ‘fly’ with one wing.”

“You’re so brave.”

 “Brave? I’m just too stubborn to give up, that’s all” he gets up and looks at me “Okay, let’s do this. I’ll go get my keys.”

“Why don’t we take my bike like we usually do?”

“How am I going to get home then?”

“Wait, you’re not staying over?”

“Let’s just first get the introductions over with; if I’m going to date you I’ll do it the proper way.”

I pout “But you slept over last time.”

Levi pulls my cheeks “Yes, because your sister didn’t know and I clearly need to win her over.”

“But Levi…” I groan.

“None of that now get your ass downstairs, before one of these hooligans wake up.”

 

It’s a Friday night tradition to sleep over at my house, as if the three of us don’t see each other enough during the week. I’m a bit nervous about how they are going to act but I am more worried about Levi, whose knuckles were white as they clenched the steering wheel.

I rest my hand on his leg “You’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“Eren, I’m more scared of meeting them than I am of taking down a drug cartel” he swallows.

“You’ve took down a drug cartel?”

“It’s on my to do list for next week, but that’s beside the point, this tension is killing me.”

We were parked outside my house, it seems Mikasa and Armin haven’t noticed us yet so I leaned over and pecked him on the lips.

I gaze into his eyes “Relax, I’m right here.”

He closes his eyes, taking a deep breathe.

"Right, let's do this."


	13. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi needs to step up his game if he wants to impress Armin and Mikasa! The boys decide that it's time for Levi to meet the family, which turns out better than expected, but for how long will this happiness last?
> 
> Domestic Levi is domestic. He's such a dad omw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Home, home is a fire  
> A burning reminder  
> Of where we belong, oh  
> With walls, built up around us  
> The bricks make me nervous  
> They're only so strong, though  
> They're only so strong, though
> 
> Home is a Fire, Death Cab for Cutie

“Eren, I didn’t know you were bringing your…friend?” Mikasa says.

Levi stiffened slightly next to me but recovered fast enough to offer his hand “Hi, I’m Levi, Eren’s boyfriend. It’s a pleasure to meet you Mikasa.”

Mikasa relaxes “So you’re the mysterious boyfriend, I was wondering if he was ever going to bring you home, please come in.”

I was relieved to see that Mikasa is so calm about the whole situation; normally she is more guarded around strangers, especially if those strangers are new friends of mine.

When we entered the house, I removed Levi’s jacket for him, hanging it by the door.

He pats my face “Such a gentleman.”

“I’m glad to see he’s treating you well, I hope Eren’s has been decent so far” Mikasa remarks.

Levi glances at me “He has his moments.”

“Please, I have been charming since day one.”

“Keep telling yourself that, brat.”

 “Hey Eren” Armin greets, coming down the stairs.

“Hi Armin, you remember Levi, right?”

Armin looks at Levi and starts to blush “S-sure I do, nice to see you again.”

“Likewise” Levi replies.

Mikasa asks “You two have met before?”

“Very briefly, just hi and bye, why don’t we go sit down?” I suggest.

If Armin cracks now then we are going to be in some serious trouble.

“Okay” Mikasa continues “What are we going to do food wise?”

We move to the living room where we seat ourselves on the couches, which have already been taken over by blankets and pillows.

“Eren and I can always cook up some pasta” Armin speaks.

“Sounds good” I agree “Why don’t you keep Mikasa company, Levi?”

He appeared a bit taken aback, but nodded his head in agreement. I might be throwing him to the wolves, but if he wants to earn Mikasa’s trust, then he needs to face her directly and on his own.

 

“So Levi, how old are you exactly?” Mikasa inquires “And what do you do for a living?”

The two questions I hate most, besides being asked how tall I am.

The lie rolls of my tongue “I’m twenty four and I work as a personal assistant.”

As much as I want to be honest with the kid, I don’t want to tell her that I’m a jobless thirty year old who babysits a bunch of teenagers and is enslaved to a blond bastard who commands one of the most powerful gangs in the city.

“And you live by yourself? Eren tells me you are busy fixing up your house.”

“I live with two close friends and a few teens around your age; they all needed a place to stay so we took them in.”

“That’s very generous of you, helping them.”

I shrug “I was in the same position as them when I was a kid, so I know how it feels; it’s not easy trying to make it on your own.”

The girl narrows her eyes “I don’t know how much Eren has told you about our situation, but I have a feeling you understand the position he is currently in, given your circumstances.”

“I do and I will continue to support him, no matter what.”

She breathes a sigh of relief “This is really weird for me, to talk to you like this, you’re older than me but here I am, acting like a parent.”

“You seem very mature for your age, and given the fact that you are his closest family member, I’d say this is completely justified.”

“Good” she declares “Then I hope you also know that I will _personally_ deal with you, should you break his heart, which I’m hoping you aren’t planning on doing.”

Fuck, this kid can give Erwin a run for his money. If she didn’t have a promising career as a doctor then I would have recruited her on the spot; she can bring any low life to their knees with one look.

I stare back at her “Not at all.”

Our eyes were locked for a solid minute until bowl cut boy came prancing into the room

“Everything okay here?” he asks, eyeing Mikasa.

“Just peachy” I reply “Mikasa and I were getting acquainted.”

“No need to worry Armin” she reassures him.

“Oh, I’m fine; Eren is the one who’s all angsty.”

I scoff “When is he not?”

“I heard that!” Eren calls from the kitchen.

The brat was looking at me, rather unimpressed, with his arms folded across his chest. I wink at him, even throwing in a smile. He sticks out his tongue- so very romantic of him- and returns to cooking.

“Well the pasta is almost done, so why don’t we move to the table?” Armin suggests.

Mikasa rises from her seat and allows Armin to drag her towards the kitchen, while he chatters away.

Before I met Eren, the idea of being part of group, was something I never imagined would be possible for someone like me, but here I am, in place that is starting to feel like my second home, surrounded by people who I can now add to my growing list of family.

 

Levi seemed to be getting on with Armin and Mikasa better than I expected, of course Armin is still a blushing mess whenever Levi and I are remotely close to each other. Mikasa has kept her eyes trained on Levi the entire night, preventing him from laying a finger on me; he clearly noticed this, resulting in him resting his hand on my knee under the table where Mikasa can’t see.

Our plates have been empty for a while, so we were making small talk, sharing stories.

“So then Eren comes charging in” Armin continues “And he punches this guy- who was like twice his size- in the gut.”

“I see that habit hasn’t changed” Levi mutters.

I kick him lightly “Hush, this is basically our origin story, although I don’t like the next part.”

Armin laughs “Mikasa had to finish the fight after the kid gave you a bloody nose.”

“No, it was because he was crying” Mikasa corrects him.

“I was five!” I protest “What do you expect?”

Levi pats my knee sympathetically “I think it’s cute.”

“Anyway” I clear my throat “We got into so much shit after that and it only got worse as we got older.”

“Let’s not forget the Jean incident” says Armin.

This sparked Levi’s interest “The Jean incident?”

“So we go to school with this kid called Jean” Armin explains “It’s our first year of high school and during the first month Jean, was totally hitting on Mikasa.”

Levi sighs “Let me guess, Eren didn’t like that.”

“Of course I didn’t! Mikasa is my sister, there’s no way in hell I’m going to let any of those guys fool around with her, especially horse face.”

Armin gives me a disapproving look “Anyway, those two started fighting left right and centre and now they are sworn rivals.”

“Except for that one year everybody thought they were banging” Mikasa grins.

“Mikasa!” I say mortified “Not in front of my boyfriend.”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of” Levi chuckles “That’s what hormonal teenage boys do sometimes, right Eren?”

As he spoke he slowly dragged his finger up my leg, halting when he reached my thigh.

I jump out of my chair “Levi, help me put away the dishes?”

He looked bored, and completely innocent despite what he had done, but agreed. As we gathered the plates, Mikasa and Armin moved back to the living room to pick out a movie.

When we entered the kitchen I put down the plates and dragged Levi towards the fridge, out of sight from the other two.

I could feel myself blushing “Why did you do that?”

“I’m sorry; did I make you feel uncomfortable? Should I not do that again?”

“You surprised me.”

Levi kisses my nose “I won’t do that again, at least not before asking whether it is okay.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

 “Your body, your rules. If I cross a line, then you tell me.”

I give him a smile, which seems to put him at ease. His words made me wonder whether he spoke out of experience, if maybe at some point someone crossed the line with him. I shuddered at the thought of a young Levi, suffering due to Erwin. Although Levi has never been clear on how far he and Erwin took their twisted relationship, after experiencing first-hand how Erwin treats the boys he likes, it wouldn’t be impossible that the man made various advances to him.

“Eren, did you hear what I said?”

“I’m sorry, I spaced out.”

“We’re watching Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” he says “I’m pretty sure when I read the book there weren’t any zombies in though.”

I laugh and take his hand “Maybe your memory is starting to go foggy, old man.”

He attempts to backhand me, but I dart out of his path, laughing as he tries to catch me. Eventually he grabbed me from behind, locking his arms around me.

It was then, as we stood there, swaying gently, both of us a little out of breath that I knew; I’m going to stay with him, no matter what.

 

I left Eren’s house at around twelve. Sitting under the blankets in a dark room, watching a movie, reminded me of my days in high school when I spent weekends at Hange’s house, both of us staying up late watching scary movies. Eren was adamant that I should stay, but I gave the sleepyhead a kiss and reminded him that I had kids to look after. Since it’s a Saturday, he will be working the morning shift so I will only be seeing him much, much later today.

The house was dark, as expected, when I pulled up in the driveway. I was about to get out to open the garage when my phone rang, thinking that it might be Eren I picked up without looking.

“Hello.”

“Levi, it’s odd that you are awake this time of the night.”

 “Erwin, is there a reason you are calling me?”

He sighs “I’m lonely, care for a late night visit?”

“Remember what I said about using that left hand of yours?” I groan “This better not be the only reason you called.”

“No, but I did hear something interesting that I wanted to share with you.”

I balance my phone on my shoulder, as I dig out a cigarette and light it “Do tell.”

“I heard you were driving around town and only just got home” he pauses “Where were you?”

I take a drag “Fucking hell, you better not be hiding in a bush somewhere near my house.”

He gives a low laugh “Levi, you know I have eyes all over this town.”

“So what, I went to visit an old friend, pretty innocent don’t you agree, Commander?”

“Nothing you do is innocent.”

“And who is to blame for that?”

Erwin went quiet for a while; the only sound on the other end of the line was his soft breathing. I take another drag of my cigarette and blow out the smoke, slowly. There was a time, long ago when I used to keep him company when he couldn’t fall asleep. I flick the ash out the window and step on the bud as I exit the car.

“Are you sleeping?” I ask him.

No response.

I end the call and shove the phone back into my pocket. I haven’t been close with him for many years; he knows that things have changed, that I’m no longer seventeen that he isn’t the person I live for anymore.

I lean against the garage door. Our problem is, is that we know too much about the other person. I’ve let him see sides of me that I still need to show Eren, parts of me that I’m insecure about, that might be too much to handle for a kid like him.

That’s why this game that we are playing is so dangerous.

“Levi?”

I turn to find Hange shuffling towards me. She’s dressed in her pj’s, hair free from her usual ponytail.

“Hey, did I wake you?”

“No” she yawns “I waited for you to come back, but I fell asleep.”

I take her by her shoulders, steering her back to the front door “Easy there shitty glasses, its cold out here, wait for me inside.”

“Okay” she mumbles.

I watch her until she is safely inside before I finally open the garage door, cringing slightly at the terrible noise it makes. I hope it doesn’t wake any of the kids up.

Once the car’s parked and the garage locked, I trudge into the house, feeling the tiredness catch up on me. Hange was waiting for me at the stairs.

“Did you have fun today?” she asks.

“I got to spend time with my favourite brat, what more can I ask for?”

Hange giggles “You’re such a softie.”

“And you’re even crazier when you’re tired.”

Gently taking Hange by the arm, I guide her down to the basement and tuck her into bed. She petted my head, laughed and then passed out. I remove her glasses, putting it next to her pillow.

I close the door behind me and wander over to the girl’s room. I quietly open the door and peek inside; although it was dark I could make out five sleeping figures. Next up was the boys. I didn’t need to open their door to know everything is fine. I could hear them snoring half way up the stairs.

As soon as I entered my room, I kicked off my shoes and hung my pants over my closet door before sinking into bed.

Then I fell asleep.

 

_Downtown, Early Saturday morning_

I woke up due to the pain in my neck.

I fell asleep hunched over at my desk, I don’t know how many hours ago. When I check my phone, it shows that it was three in the morning.

There was a half empty glass of whisky on my desk, serving as a paperweight. I throw back the remaining liquid, savouring the taste and reopen the envelope that was under it. I arrange the pictures on my desk and pick one to study up close.

The picture didn’t do the boy any justice; you couldn’t see those striking green eyes of his that were undoubtedly locked on the person he was with.

I go to the gallery on my phone, scrolling through it until I find another, clearer picture of him, which was taken through an open window. He was busy painting a wall, inside of the house that I know too well.

Although I reminded Levi, not to long ago, that I had eyes everywhere it seem that he hadn’t taken it to heart. I have to give him credit though, keeping this little secret from me for so long.

Maybe I’ll let him think that they were safe, that I don’t know a thing. I will let him play house for a little longer.

The time to strike will come soon enough.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is made up out of three parts, each of them are bits out of Levi's past, exploring his relationship with Erwin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally wrote this for fun, but I think it adds a bit of backbone to the story.
> 
> Just to be clear, Levi's age differs in each part. In Part 1, he is seventeen, Part 2, twenty and Part 3, twenty three/twenty four. Also, I don't particularly dislike Erwin- by that I mean his original character, he just makes a fantastic villain.
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoy this as much as I did writing it.

After writing the math test, I hopped the fence and booked it Downtown.

I knew Hange would be looking for me and would most likely call me after school to ask about my disappearing act. Honestly, I didn’t see the point of staying in school; it’s not as if I enjoy it.

As a walk down the street, I gripped the apartment key in my hand. The cold metal comforted me almost as much as the person whose apartment it belonged to, which reminds me; I should probably call first. Besides his, I only have two other contacts saved on my phone.

“Shouldn’t you be in school, Levi?” he answers.

 “I’m on my way to your place, is that okay?”

“You know that I don’t mind you visiting, I enjoy your company” he continues “How far are you?”

I start to jog “Are you sitting at the desk?”

“Have been glued to it all morning, why?”

I stop in front of his building, looking up at his flat “Look outside your window.”

Erwin makes a crack between his blinds, peaking outside.

 “I see you, why don’t you come up?”

“Maybe because I like keeping you waiting” I tease.

He laughs softly “Well, I would much more prefer it if you were here, inside.”

“Is that so?”

“Levi” he groans “I’m starved for human interaction.”

I sigh and walk toward the building’s door “You are such a baby, give me two minutes.”

 

His tiny apartment is on the second floor so at least I don’t have to climb too many stairs. Having my own key to his place certainly made things easier, I can drop by whenever I want, which comes in handy when Kenny is feeling particularly crabby and I am unable to go to Hange’s house.

“Erwin?” I call.

“Still in the study” he replies.

His ‘study’ was in fact the living room, which consisted out of a sleeper couch, small TV and his desk that was in front of the window.

When I entered the room he looked up from his work and gave me smile.

“Rough day?” he asks.

I seat myself on the chair opposite of him “Wrote a math test.”

“I see; did it not go well?”

“It went alright, Hange helped me study” I peer at the papers that lay before him “Is that a map?”

He looks down at it, frowning “Yes, I’m trying to find a suitable place to establish another base, as you know; it’s getting a bit overcrowded at the other one.”

In the last three months since I met Erwin, the Wings of Freedom has grown considerably, making it difficult to sleep comfortably in the safe house.

“Is it hard to find another place?”

Erwin didn’t respond. He was staring at the map, brows furrowed in concentration.

“Hey” I snap my fingers “Pay attention to me.”

Without looking up, he catches my hand and twines his fingers through mine. So he was paying attention, I smirk. With his free hand he picks up a pencil and draws a large cross on the map.

“This is impossible” he mumbles.

“You’re impossible, you workaholic.”

He turns his attention to me and gives me an apologetic look “I can’t help it. I just can’t seem to figure out what to do, our options are limited to either claiming territory that border next to bigger groups or try and take over a smaller gang’s area.”

“Why don’t we settle for the latter?” I suggest “The Wings has a lot off members that are willing to fight.”

“Will you fight for me, Levi?”

 “Yes.”

Erwin gently released my hand “Yes, who?”

I gulp, heat flushing to my face “Yes, Commander.”

He seemed pleased to hear my words and in return he ruffles my hair, despite my complaint.

“If you’re hungry, there’s food in the fridge, so help yourself.”

I rise from my seat “I’m actually going to take a nap, wake me if you need anything.”

I throw my shoes under the sleeper couch before falling down on the couch. After a long night of studying and not being able to fall asleep (thanks Kenny) I was spent.

At least here I can sleep safely.

 

I woke up to a darkened room. Erwin had closed the blinds entirely and had covered me with a blanket. Still half asleep, I wander through the apartment looking for him until I see the note that he had taped to his TV.

_Had a breakthrough. Went to discuss my plan of action with the others._

I check my phone and see that it is three in the afternoon, which means I slept almost the entire morning. Hange is most likely worried about me so I decide to give her a call.

“Levi Ackerman, how many times are you planning on skipping school?”

“Hange, relax” I say, pulling on my shoes “I wrote the test, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Accept your attendance record .Let me guess, you went to Erwin’s place again?”

“Yeah, so what if I did?”

“I-” she sighs “Never mind. I’m at the library; do you want to join me?”

I had a feeling that she would scold me if I said no, so I told her that I would meet her there. After tidying up Erwin’s apartment a bit, I left, making sure to lock the door behind me.

                                                                                                                            *

The music in the club was loud, too loud for my liking.

Between the flashes of neon lights, you can almost see the dancing bodies, energetically moving around on the dance floor. That is if you count grinding as a form of dance. I think they all look ridiculous, but to each their own.

I would much rather be back in my room, but I got dragged out here by my comrades. As soon as I lost them in the crowd, I slipped away to the bar, where I have been sitting for at least an hour. In this hour I have received various requests from drunken men and women to go home with them.

I am not amused.

My phone, tucked away in my leather jacket, started to buzz furiously. Before I could answer I had to run to the bathroom in the hope that it might be quieter.

If it wasn’t Erwin that was calling me then I would have ignored it and avoid going into the filthy bathroom.

“This better be good.”

“Someone sounds cranky” he remarks “Where are you?”

“In a disgusting bathroom at some awful club I have been dragged to.”

“They let you in? Without asking for your ID?”

“I’m twenty years old Erwin, why would they need to check?” I growl.

“You have a young face, but let me get back on track. Consider me your saviour; I want to talk with you, meet me at Base 2, my office.”

He hung up, so I ran out of the bathroom. My comrades were nowhere to be seen so simply strolled out of the club, without being pulled onto the dance floor or getting harassed by some drunk.

I felt better once I was outside, breathing in the fresh air. Now I had to find a way to Base 2. I looked back at the club; I didn’t want to go back in there to find whoever has the keys to our car. Considering that we are in Sector Maria, there might be someone here I can ask to take me back to the Base.

I made my way down the street and sure enough, found a couple of guys who were supposed to be on patrol. Instead they were smoking next to their beat up station wagon.

I stop in front of them, clearing my throat.

“Can we help you?” one of them asks.

“I need to get to Base 2 in Sector Rose, since you lot aren’t doing anything of importance, I assume that it wouldn’t be an inconvenience.”

The three men, who I guess are about three to four years my senior, glance at each other before the one speaks up again.

“And you are?”

I sigh “I go by Corporal.”

All three of them drop their cigarettes and give me the salute.

“Sorry Corporal! We didn’t realise-”

“It’s fine” I stop him “Will one of you just please take me there? And don’t let me catch you slacking off again.”

“Yes sir!”

 

Base 2 is a two storey apartment building that we took over from a rival group when we claimed their area not too long ago. Here you’ll find the veteran members along with a chosen few rookies who show potential.

“Corporal, where have you been?”

Petra was reclining on one of the sofas, her head resting on Hange’s knee. The later had her nose buried in a book, studying for some test she told me about the other day.

“Here and there” I reply “Need to go talk to Commander, make sure Hange eats something.”

“Roger that.”

Hange somehow manages to find time to come here, despite her studies. It’s not that I don’t want her here but I know she has mixed feeling about my involvement with the Wings of Freedom. I don’t even want to know what her parents are thinking about her, still hanging around me, the high school dropout.

Erwin’s office is on the top floor at the end of the hall. Although he still has his own private apartment, he’s been staying here a lot recently.

I open the door, not bothering to knock.

The flats here are even smaller than his place- consisting only of a singular room, small kitchen and bathroom. His bed was pushed into the corner to make space for the table that we use during our meetings.

As always, he was seated at the head of the table, waiting for me.

“Hello Commander.”

He gives me a pleasant look and waves me over “Come look at this.”

Spread out before him was the familiar map of the city that has been drawn on to illustrate the different territories, including our own.

“We’ve expanded greatly” I remark.

“Yes, our only problem now are those Titans, they’ve breeched sector Maria and nearly did so with Rose as well.”

“We need better reinforcement at Maria, I can always send out more recruits along with some veterans.”

“I suppose” he sighs “Our borders are very near at one specific area; many fights have broken out between us and the Titans because of that.”

“I’ve told them to avoid all contact unless necessary, but those idiots just don’t want to listen to me.”

Erwin laughs “Heaven help them should they cross paths with you again.”

I lean against the table “I’m not that bad.”

“You’ve become dangerous” he purrs.

“And you _love_ the way it looks on me, don’t you?”

At some point, throughout these couple of years, our banter became more…real. When I was kid I held a feeling of admiration towards him and he was obviously aware of it, much to my embarrassment. Nothing ever came of it, still hasn’t, but our light jokes had somehow turned into _flirting_ along the way.

So when his arm curled around my waist, his hand resting on the small of my back, I let him pull me closer.

“Unfortunately, I do have business to discuss with you.”

“Tell me what to do.”

He absentmindedly plays with the zipper of my jacket “There is a small group of Titans that have settled in Sector Maria, will you take care of them for me?”

“No problem Commander, I’ll gather a group and head out as soon as possible tomorrow.”

“I can always count on you Levi” he continues “Or shall I say Corporal?”

“That name has been going around for a while; I think I’ll keep it.”

He nods his head “You earned it, but remember that names are dangerous.”

“I know; that’s one of the first things you taught me.”

People within our group have never had a name to place to my face. For all they knew, I was a phantom that was always next to their Commander’s side. Until one day, that name started to be spoken in hushed whispers whenever someone would see me.

Corporal.

That is who I am now.

                                                                                                                              *

_What have I done?_

My legs felt numb as I ran through the street, not caring about my battered appearance or my bloodied face. People looked at me, fearfully, as if they know what I had done.

_Murderer._

I didn’t stop running until I reached his apartment building. I stumbled up the stairs, holding onto the railing for support.

My hands were shaking as I struggled to unlock the door. When the lock finally clicked, I threw the door open.

“Erwin!”

He was standing by his desk, back turned to me. His blinds were open and he was staring outside as if the world was at his feet.

“Look at me you bastard” I pant.

Erwin turns around and looks me up and down “Levi, you’re not in the best shape.”

“Neither is the squad that you selected for the mission” I growl “They’re dead, three of them survived.”

“These things happen.”

“They were children for fucks sake! You said that we would be fine, that there weren’t going to be many Titans, I told you that they weren’t ready!”

He slams his fist on the table “Damnit Levi, what do you want me to do?”

I clench my fists “T-they didn’t stand a chance against them.”

“We conquered the territory; this is a win for us. Casualties are expected, you should be happy we didn’t lose any of our veterans.”

“Erwin, what happened to you? Why are you talking like this?” I shake my head “This isn’t what the Wings of Freedom is about, what you wanted it to be.”

He clenches his jaw “Things change, you of all people should know this by now. So stop this complaining and just do as you are told.”

“I’m not you’re pawn and neither were those kids.”

“Don’t fool yourself” he says giving a cold smile “You have always done exactly what I wanted you to do.”

“Erwin” I beg “Please listen to me, you’re not the same as you used to be and I’ve been telling you this for months. People are talking, they’re unhappy about all these changes that you have been making.”

“If they are dissatisfied, then they should leave.”

“Fine, then I will take my leave along with those who no longer wish to stay.”

“Do you honestly think that I will let you, of all people, just walk out on me?” he laughs.

“But you just said-”

“Now, now, I understand that you are upset. Just go home, get cleaned up and you will feel better.”

“You killed them, I saw those kids die, gunned down before they had a chance to react.”

Then very quietly, he says “I might have given the order, but I wasn’t the one who led the squad, Corporal.”

At that moment I knew, I am never getting out of this. The Erwin I knew is long gone; I should have done something sooner, helped get people out while they still had a chance.

Hange, Petra and I, what about us?

I remove his apartment key from its usual place in my jacket and throw it to the ground.

“Don’t think that I will _ever_ blindly follow you again. You say that I’m not allowed to leave? Fine, I’ll make every day a living hell for you” I growl.

Without looking back, I stormed out of the apartment and down the stairs, away from him, from my save place.

When I was outside my legs finally gave in. I would have fallen into a heap on the sidewalk, had it not been for someone’s hands that firmly grasped my shoulders.

“Levi! Stay with me!” they say.

“Hange?”

Her face was pale and she was breathing heavily.

“Not here, not where he can see you.”

She guides me away from his apartment but as soon as we round the corner I felt myself falling to the ground.

“I killed them!” I cry.

For the first time since my mother died, I let myself cry. Tears were streaming down my face and my body shook, despite this, Hange continued to hold me as if I will break should she release me.

“It’s not your fault” she says softly “Not your fault.”

“But is! What about Petra? What about you? You dropped out of College because of me, we have nowhere to go.”

“Levi, look at me” she turns my face “We are going to get through this; _you_ are going to get through this. We’ll figure something out, I promise.”

I wanted to scream at her that it’s impossible, that because of my stupidity when I was a teenager we are stuck in the worst possible situation.

And we are never getting out of it.


	15. Coup d'etat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's friend finally pays a visit,but will he get the answer that he is hoping? The future of the Wings of Freedom is at stake as well as his relationship with Eren and his friends' lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh we're burning up inside  
> With these questions on our minds  
> It's a quest for the heart  
> Gotta let go, restart  
> Looking who to blame  
> Who to trust in this game  
>  The victims shall remain  
> As long as we deny our reign
> 
> Help our Souls -Nihils
> 
> I'm moving! Which means packing and also less time to write. Will try my best to update as frequently as possible.

Hange throws her arms around me, squeezing me tight “Eren this is fantastic news!”

“Can’t breathe” I choke “Help me.”

Petra, who was seated at the table, laughs at me as I struggle to free myself from Hange’s iron grip.

“What is going on here?”

Hange releases me, mid struggle at the sound of Levi’s voice.

I smile, sheepishly “I got a B on my Science test.”

He holds his arms open “Well get your ass over here.”

I launch myself towards him, melting into his embrace. I playfully kiss his neck, earning us some commentary from Hange and Petra.

“Quiet, you two” he says firmly “Can’t you see that we’re having a moment?”

“As much as we love seeing you two be cute together, just be careful okay? Unless you guys don’t mind the recruits finding out” Petra says.

“We’re super careful” I assure her “Right Corporal?”

“Yeah, we make good use of that broom closet under the stairs.”

My face felt like it was on fire “That was one time!”

Hange chuckles “You boys are nasty.”

I wiggle out of Levi’s hug, much to his dismay. I needed to get back to work; with all the painting done, we could finally start to remove the old carpets.

He held on to my fingers “We have a friend coming by later to discuss important business.”

“Should I be worried?”

“No, he’s an ally of us, a double agent if you will. If all goes as planned, I promise I will tell you what’s going on.”

I brush my thumb across his hand before letting go “Be safe, all of you.”

At this point, my curiosity was constantly gnawing at me. I desperately wanted to know what Levi is planning, but it seemed serious, too serious for me to jus casually bring it up.

“Where have you been, Yeager?”

Annie sat with her legs crossed at the foot of the stairs. She had her phone in her hand, casually spinning it between her fingers.

“I was in the kitchen, I’m going back to work now, how about you?”

“Needed a breather” she continues “You hang out a lot with Corporal and his friends.”

“Something you want to know specifically, Annie?”

She narrows her eyes “No, but thanks for your concern.”

I gesture to her phone “You always carry that with you.”

“Most people do.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong, it’s just I have never seen the other recruits with phones, aside from Jean. Annie rarely talks to anyone, spending most of her free time hiding away somewhere or fiddling with her phone. Who is she talking to? As far as I understood, most of the people who join the Wings are runaways, many of whom have severed contact with family, like Connie and Sasha.

“Right, I better go.”

Maybe it’s best to leave Annie be, avoid her like the others do. She’s lonely enough as it, maybe the person she is talking to is someone she trusts, taking that away from her would only do more damage. It’s not my business anyway.

“Do you girls need help?”

Sasha, Ymir and Krista were busy in their room, peeling away the filthy, old carpet.

“The boys need help in the living room” Ymir says “Have you seen that slacker, Annie anywhere?”

“Just talked to her, do you want me to go get her?”

“Let it go” Krista sighs “If she doesn’t want to help, then there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Probably talking to her boyfriend on that stupid phone” Ymir sneers.

“She has a boyfriend?”

“I don’t think so” Sasha chimes in “I asked her once, but she told me to mind my own business, she’s a funny one.”

So I’m not the only one who thinks she acts strange. Sure, it’s not fun doing all this work, but everybody does their part so they can better their living quarters. Annie doesn’t seem to care about all of this one bit.

“Let us know if you girls need any help.”

The living room may not be huge, but it’s the biggest room in the house and needs the most work as well.

“Finally joining us?” Connie says “You do not want to know what kinds of stains we found so far.”

“Considering the bunch that lived here before you guys, I can only imagine. Where do I begin?”

“As you can see Berthold and Reiner have that side covered, Marco and Jean are busy flirting in the corner-”

Jean angrily turns towards us “Shut up Connie!”

“It’s chill man” he grins “Guess you and I will be buddies then?”

Connie is a cool dude, out of all the guys he’s the easiest to get along with.

“Looks like it, let’s get started then.”

 

I was a nervous wreck as I sat alone in my room.

I wanted nothing more than to drag Eren in here so I can calm down, especially considering the importance of the meeting. Hange and Petra took my van a while back to go pick up our old friend at the meeting place.

I let out a deep breathe, if they would just return already then the first step is complete. Negotiations should be easy, that is if he doesn’t feel that the plan is too risky.

My phone rings, jarring me out of my thoughts.

“What’s your status Petra?”

“We are approaching the house; ready the garage so we can enter. Hope your sneaking skills are still sharp.”

I saunter to the door, resting my hand in the nob “Don’t worry about me, worry about how we’re going to sneak the walking tree into our house.”

I hang up and close the door behind me as quietly as possible and then make my way down the stairs, avoiding the steps that creak. I could hear the recruits laughing; which made me happy, it means that they aren’t finding it so bad to live here.

I make it out the back door, arriving at the garage just as Hange pulls up in the driveway. I hastily unlock the garage and gesture for her to pull in.

“Well, we made it back” Hange says “Doesn’t look like we were followed.”

“Right, where’s our friend?”

Petra slid open the side door and out steps our long awaited guest.

“Mike Zacharias” I greet “Haven’t seen you in a long while.”

“Good to see you Corporal” he looks around nervously “We should move to a safe spot.”

“Agreed.”

We ushered Mike through the house, our eyes scanning the halls and corners, making sure no one sees him. As far as anybody besides us is concerned, Mike isn’t here. In fact, if anybody sees or hear of him being here we are seriously screwed.

“Our best bet is in my room, nobody will disturb us there” I say.

 Four people are a tight fit inside my tiny room. Hange spread herself out on the bed so Petra had to crawl under her legs for a place to sit. Mike, stoic as always, made himself comfortable in the corner, happily watching the other two as they fight for space,

I draw the curtain shut “Thank you for coming today.”

“I admit I was surprised when you called me, but I have a feeling that you and I are on the same page.”

I nod in agreement “How is he?”

“He’s…” Mike furrows his brow “He’s a changed man, but you already know that. Erwin has an iron grip over this town, the only thing stopping him from taking over are the Titans.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of, there are too many of them compared to The Wings and what does he do? Send more people out in the hopes that they will manage to conquer more territory or kill Titans.”

Petra gulps “The Wings of Freedom has changed, because our Commander changed.”

“I agree with you” Mike adds “Like you, I’ve known Erwin for years, up until now I have supported him but I don’t think I can continue doing this.”

“If that’s how you feel then you will have no problem helping us overthrow him.”

Silence filed the room. Hange and Petra looked at Mike encouragingly as he stood there, his mouth slightly agape.

“Overthrow him? How are you planning on doing that without him noticing?”

“Corporal has people” Hange states “He has followers who are depending on him to make a change, if you and you people join us, than we might just stand a chance.”

“Come on Mike, you and I both know the only way we are going to get rid of Erwin is if we get his loyal little subjects to turn on him.”

I could see the cogs turning in his head. Just say yes! Without his help we’ll never be able to put this plan into action.

“So we start a rebellion and take over The Wings, what then?”

“We’ll be free. Our group returns to the way it was and we can live out our lives the way we want to.”

“With you as our leader?”’

I laugh “Hell no, I’ll leave that to you.”

“Then besides your freedom, what do you get out of this?” he inquires.

“I found them.”

“Who?”

“The person I want to spend my life with, they are quite the handful so I won’t have any time to lead an entire group. And I’m sure that I am not the only one who has somebody they want to be with or a dream that they want to pursue.”

He sighs “I didn’t picture you as the sort to fall in love, but I understand what you mean. I’m tired of seeing people being held back by Erwin, that and I want my friend back.”

“What do you say Mike, shall we end this?”

“I think it’s time this comes to an end” he replies, determined “Let’s do it.”

 

“Wow, you guys have made good progress” Corporal remarks.

“We’re done” Connie says “At least for today; we finished stripping the living room and the most of the hall.”

“Call it a day and go rest, Hange and Petra are making dinner.”

I had made myself comfortable on the old, dented couch, busying myself with my prescribed reading. I peeked over the book, watching as Levi strolled over to me.

“I’ve been waiting for you” I say.

He steals the book from me and bends down to kiss me “I know, sorry about that.”

“Give me a few more kisses and I might forgive you.”

He glances over his shoulder and gives me a devilish smile before he straddles my hips.

“Corporal, someone is going to see us.”

Levi was grinning broadly as he took my face in his hands, kissing me deeply. I slide my fingers through his hair, down his back. He catches my lip between his teeth-which made my head spin- and slowly moved his hands down to my stomach.

We probably would have continued kissing, had someone not thrown us with a pillow.

“Take it upstairs!” Petra squeals “Honestly you two.”

“Petra!” Levi exclaims.

My heart too, was beating faster than it should and not just because of Levi kissing me so… _differently._ No, if someone else had seen us, we would be in so much trouble.

 “You guys are going to get caught” she hisses “Now move, before the recruits get here.”

Levi rolls his eyes, but still gets up, offering me his hand.

“She’s right; I have a lot to tell you anyway.”

I take his hand “Like?”

“Things that should only be discussed behind closed doors. You know what I’m talking about.”

Finally, my curiosity will be satisfied! This means that whatever he is planning might just become a reality, no wonder he's so happy.

"I can't wait to hear."


	16. The Game Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and the gang take the plunge and decide to put their plan to overthrow Erwin in action, starting by seeking help in the double agent. The boys are happier than ever, that is until Erwin puts a spanner in the works.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you really want to drag me down  
> And take me to the gates of hell  
> No more dancing with the stars  
> I did it all for you back then  
> And look at me now, I'm half the prisoner  
> Half the man, this life is resting in your hands
> 
> Dancing With The Devil- Wolf Gang
> 
> Sorry for the long wait! Needed a bit of a break and have been busy with moving. 
> 
> In my home language we often use the expression "Wanneer die paw paw die fan strike"/ "When the paw paw hits the fan" when explaining that shit is going down. Idk, i think it's a accurate description of this chapter. LOL.

A little rebellion never hurt anybody; that’s what I used to think.

But now that Levi is going to lead one, I’m starting to second guess that notion. Between the long, rough kisses in his room yesterday, he told me about the plan he has been working on. With the help of the double agent, Mike Zacharias, they will attempt to end Commander Erwin’s reign and bring freedom for all.

_We can start a life together_ is what he said.

I laughed and asked him whether he was up for the challenge, he responded by pushing me off that stupid bed of his.

I couldn’t have asked for a better answer.

I feel a hand on my shoulder “Eren?”

“I’m sorry what?”

 “It’s like you’re on a different planet” Armin groans “I got your tip from that table you served.”

“I didn’t even notice that they left” I admit, pocketing the change.

“Yeah, maybe because you were too busy daydreaming about your boyfriend.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Will on of you boys take table six please?” one of the waitresses asks as she passes us by.

Armin steps forward but I pull him back by his elbow when I see who is sitting at the table.

“Let me take this one, you don’t want to serve that guy, trust me.”

Armin looks at me confused “You know him?”

I whisper “He’s bad news.”

Erwin’s eyes were on me the minute I stepped toward his table. I kept my shoulders back and gave him my best smile.

“Good afternoon sir, would you mind if I quickly wipe your table?”

“Go ahead” he gestures “We meet again, I see.”

I bend down slightly and wipe the table, focusing on the circular movement that I was making and not his warm breathe, that was too close for comfort.

“You know, I’d offer you my number, but I have a feeling that you are already spoken for.”

I straighten “Come again?”

Erwin juts his chin towards me “The mark under your collarbone; you’ve been having fun recently.”

I had tried to cover up the various marks that Levi so kindly left on me, but it seems that even the finest detail doesn’t escape Commander’s eye.

“That’s funny, since the only way you would see that is if you were looking down my shirt” I observe.

He huffs a laugh “Easy there, I mean no offense. Who’s the lucky girl? Or guy?”

“Nobody you would know, sir” I reply quietly “Would you mind telling me your order?”

“An espresso, please.”

I drag my eyes away from his and go to place his order, tapping my foot as I wait for the barista to finish up.

Armin passes by me, mouthing me a “are you alright?” I nod my head discreetly, not wanting to draw too much attention to ourselves, especially considering that Erwin is carefully watching my every move.

The fact that he was inquiring about who I am dating makes me even wearier of him, sure, one can argue that he was just making small talk, but when it comes to Erwin, I have a sickening feeling that everything he says and does is for a reason.

I served him his coffee and quickly moved to one of my other tables to avoid further contact. I kept an eye on him, but somewhere along the line he manged to slip away, which made me freak out. Did he just up and leave without paying?

“Armin, did the guy at table six pay?”

“Relax” he laughs “You were busy so I took care of him, he left you a generous tip.”

“He didn’t say or do anything weird to you?”

“No, he seems like a nice guy, even asked me to give you a message.”

“What kind of message?”

“That you should have a good day and that you need to be careful.”

That I need to be careful? Is this his way of telling me to watch my back?

I need to let Levi know about Erwin’s very kind message. This can potentially mean that he is aware of who I really am, as well as me involvement with the Wings of Freedom…and with Levi.

 

After work I sped towards Levi’s house. At least now we can use the front door, which wasn’t locked, so I simply walked in.

“Yo, Eren” Sasha says “What are you doing here? Didn’t you go to work today?”

“I urgently need to discuss something with Corporal, do you know where he is?”

“Upstairs in his room.”

“Thanks Sasha” I jog up the stairs “Lock the front door!”

“Okay!”

I briskly knock on his door before opening it.

“Le-”

I paused when I saw him with someone else in the room. I have never seen the man but it looked like he and Levi were busy with a heated discussion before I interrupted them.

“Corporal” I say embarrassed “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company.”

He shrugs “Doesn’t matter, would you mind stepping inside?”

I glance at the tall, intimidating man “Are you sure about that?”

“Mike is fine, you’ve got nothing to worry about” he assures me “Mike, he is the person I told you about.”

Mike and I clasp hands and he looks me over “Does he have a name, or is that classified?”

“That is for him to decide” Levi continues “Mike is an ally of ours, so he means you no harm.”

“Alright then, I’m Eren Yeager” I introduce myself.

Mike gives me a faint smile before turning to Corporal “I assume he has something important to tell you so I’ll go find Hange.”

“Don’t let anyone see you” Levi warns.

Mike waves and then sneaks out the door. I am slightly confused as to why no one is allowed to see him, but I had more pressing matters to attend to.

“What’s up?” he asks.

“Erwin showed up at my work again and was his usual self.”

“I have a feeling something happened.”

“He gave me a really weird message; told me that I need to be careful, do you think he means anything by it?”

Levi contemplates this for a moment “You’ve caught his eye, that’s for sure. What else did he say or do?”

“He asked me about my love life” I give him a pointed look “He saw the damage you left on me.”

He half grins at me “Damage? Those little marks, please I can do _much_ worse than that.”

I swallow “Levi, can you not? This is serious.”

“Sorry, you’re probably scared, I should be more sensitive.”

“Come here” I sigh and put my arms around him “You are fine, you didn’t say anything wrong, I’m just freaked out a little.”

“He couldn’t possibly know about us” he states.

I kiss the top of head “As long as we are together then we’ll be fine.”

“If you say that, you might not ever get rid of me” he says and nips at my neck.

“I’ll take that as a challenge then” I whisper “How about I stay a little while and you show me how much damage you can really do?”

Levi gently pushes me away “I have a better idea, why don’t you go home and study and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Did I do something wrong?

“Was that weird?”

His eyes soften and he shakes his head “No, I just don’t want to lead you on…in that way.”

My ears start to get warm “Oh, right, I wasn’t-I didn’t mean _that_. Not that I don’t want to you know…with you. If it’s you then I won’t mind at all.”

“It makes me happy to hear that you feel that way but we don’t need to rush anything, not until you are ready.”

“You don’t mind it then?”

 “I enjoy being with you, even though you are an annoying, loud brat. Having you by my side is enough for me and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Levi…”

“Now go home and study before Mikasa busts through the door, we’ll never see the light of day again.”

“Is that an order, Corporal?”

He playfully kicks me, nudging me to the door “It is; I order you to drive home safely and to soak up as much information as possible. Don’t forget to call me later.”

“Yes, sir” I scramble out of his reach “Try not to miss me too much.”

Leaning against the doorway, he waves me off, trying to hide the smile that was spreading across his face.

 

_Later that week_

 

Meetings with Erwin were never fun and considering where this meeting is taking place, I’m even more nervous than usual.

I have been to The Wall many times to meet up with Eren after his shift ended, so I know his work schedule pretty well, however, lately he has been working more than usual- due to an ill co-worker- leaving his work hours a muddled mess of shifts being moved around and desperate phone calls whisking him away from me and his duties.

When I stepped into the warm coffee shop, Commander was waiting for me at a table, flipping through the menu.

I loudly drag my chair back, alerting him of my presence and sit down.

He sets down his menu “Corporal, I’m glad you could make it.”

“I don’t see why we couldn’t discuss this somewhere else.”

“Somewhere private?” he purrs.

I sigh “In your dreams; now can we please get to it then?”

Erwin smiles and raises his hand in the air, calling over a server.

“How about something to drink?” he offers.

“Damnit I-”

“What can I get you gentlemen?”

At the sound of the server’s voice, my sentence comes to a halt. I look away from Erwin’s malevolent eyes and find myself staring into those familiar green eyes that I have come to love so much.

Eren’s face did not luckily betray how he must be feeling on the inside. His eyes were barren of their usual sparkle when he’s looking at me; it is as if he is looking at a stranger.

I feigned disinterest and scroll through the menu “I’ll just have a double espresso please.”

“For me as well.”

Now is not the time to let my feeling get the better of me. Eren is putting up a good front, a noble effort from his part. I can’t let him down now. I know Erwin is a sneaky bastard, but this is just too damn low, even for him. Does this mean he knows? I should have listened to Eren’s concern.

“The waiter’s handsome, don’t you agree?” he remarks.

“Sure, if you like teenage brats, besides he’s a bit young for you.”

 “But not for you?”

I open my mouth to protest but he holds up his finger, silencing me.

“Don’t play dumb with me Levi, I know about you and the boy” he leans back in his chair “I have to congratulate you; hiding him away from me for so long.”

“How?” I growl.

“I told you, I have eyes everywhere. I’ve been playing this game longer than you have, don’t think you can best me at it.”

Eren returns with our drinks, wordlessly setting it before us.

I took every fibre of self-control that I have to not drag him out of the shop, away from Erwin, whose eyes were roaming over the boy.

As soon as Eren disappeared I snap at Erwin “Keep your eyes of him.”

Erwin calmly picks up his drink and takes a sip “No need to be so prickly.”

“Erwin I swear, if you so much as look at him the wrong way I’ll-”

“You’ll what? Please do tell me.”

I bite my tongue and stare down at my drink.

“I have no intention of playing around with that boy of yours, I’ve told you before that I don’t care what goes on in your house, do with him what you want.”

“He is not some plaything that I take out and discard as I please.”

“Tell me, does it bother you that we are so alike?”

I nearly choked on my coffee “We are _nothing_ alike.”

“He’s what, seventeen? Eren is about the same age as you were when we met” he continues “I know you, you always look out for the damaged ones, however this time you’ve taken a liking to him, took him under your wing. Sound familiar?”

“My story is different, you used me, exploited my weakness” I argue.

“How is that any different to what you’re doing? Do you honestly think that boy really wants to stay with you?”

“Yes, for a matter of fact I do.”

He laughs “How?”

I rise from my chair and throw down some money on the table.

“Because Commander, unlike you, I gave him a choice.”

I didn't have to look at his face to know that I pissed him off-at least that makes two of us- and frankly I don't care. 

After this stunt that he pulled, I am more motivated than ever to kick his ass of that damn throne of his.


	17. In the Garden of Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi deal with the aftermath of Erwin's devious plan but are unaware that they have a spy among them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But I can't beat ya, cause I'm still with ya  
> "Oh mercy, " I implore ("Oh mercy, " I implore)  
> How do you do it? I think I'm through it  
> Then I'm back against the wall
> 
> What kind of man loves like this? What kind of man?
> 
> What Kind Of Man- Florence + The Machine
> 
> I'm not dead! I've just been busy this week. Enjoy <3

I was sent home after I was found hyperventilating in the kitchen.

Erwin’s regular appearances at The Wall have become sort of a routine for me; I expected him to drop by and drink his single cup of coffee, whilst being his not so charming self.

But when I saw Levi and him together…

I know trouble when I see it, if Levi knew that I was working today then he would have avoided coming here, whether Erwin liked it or not. What hit me hard was the fact that I stood there powerless as Levi bore that cold mask that has slowly faded away since I met him. His indifference, though necessary at the time, made me uneasy, although I copied him as best I could to avoid trouble.

Instead of going straight home, like I was told to do, I hastily dialled Levi’s number, pressing the phone close to my ear as I jog to my motorcycle.

When he picked up the phone, his voice was pained “Eren, I’m so sorry.”

“Where are you?”

“At the park, the one we went to last time.”

“Stay there, I’m on my way.”

 

Levi sat waiting at the bench that we were last time. His shoulders were hunched and his head hung low.

I slowly slide in next to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

“Hey” I say softly.

 He gives me a side long glance “Hey.”

I pull Levi closer, letting him rest his head on my shoulder.

“What happened between the two of you back there?”

“He knows, about us” he sighs “I don’t know what to make of it though, he told me he doesn’t care what I do.”

“Then why did he pull that stunt? How the hell did he even know that I was working today?”

“Erwin has connections, some that I don’t even know about, or he took a gamble, hoping that you would be here today. As for why he did it…” he gives a short laugh “It’s part of his game; he loves playing people, moving them around like they’re his pawns.”

“So what you’re saying is, he does things like this because he gets a kick out of it?”

“Yes; maybe?” Levi groans “Even I don’t know what goes through his head sometimes.”

“Was he always like that?”

“I used to be able to read him pretty well, like with most people, the more you spend time with them the better you get at understanding the way they think; although he has surprised me many times in the past.”

“Erwin is taking this crazy ex-boyfriend thing to a whole new level.”

“Forget ‘new level’ he’s on a fucking elevator that’s only going up.”

I laugh “How about we head to my house, relax a bit before we dive back into work.”

He straightens “But we’re so close to finishing…”

“Come on” I drag him to his feet “Get up old man, before your bones start to get stiff.”

Levi bumps his shoulder against mine “Boy, I can best you any day, any time.”

“Says the guy who was complaining from back ache the other day, I had to message you.”

“Don’t pretend to complain, you enjoyed it as much as I did” he grins “In fact, I guess that means I owe you one, what do you say brat? Name your price.”

“Well, now that you mention it, I do have _something_ in mind, but I’m not sure you would be up to it.”

He looks at me; eyes determined “Bring it on.”

 

“Come on Levi, don’t be afraid to use your hands, just go for it.”

He sceptically looked at the lump of dough that was before him “Eren, you know I have limited cooking skills. I’ve never made a pizza from scratch before.”

“Which is why I’m teaching you, now get kneading!”

Levi reluctantly places his hands on the lump and starts to attack the dough.

“There you go” I encourage him.

“This is actually pretty satisfying” he says “You do this often?”

“When I have the time or need to get rid of some nervous energy; it helps to distract me.”

He nods his head and continues the steady rhythm of kneading and folding the dough. As with any task that he is faced with, he tackles it with all his energy and focus. Hopefully this will have the same therapeutic effect on him as it does on me. I wondered whether or not I should call Hange and let her know that things with Erwin went south, but got distracted when I noticed Levi grinning to himself.

“What’s so funny?” I ask

He holds up his hands, which is covered in flour “I’m just thinking that I haven’t been covered in this much white powder since the Summer of ’09.”

“What happened?”

Levi rolls his eyes “Hange dear, decided that she wanted to use her mad scientist skills to make what she called “happy powder.”

I blink “She made drugs. Hange made drugs.”

“You can imagine how that went down with Commander, of course he told us to get rid of it, so we sold it” he chuckles “We made some pocket money that summer.”

“Did you…use some of it?”

His eyes sparkle “What do you think?”

“I think that you and Hange went on some acid trip and decided to not do it ever again.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, we were floored after using that shit. Hange said that she will never use her powers for evil again.”

I shake my head in disbelieve “Okay so I think we can put on the base and toppings.”

“Let me just clean my hands.”

Instead of rinsing his hands under the tap like a normal person, he uses my shirt and pokes at my ribs, making my laugh. I retaliate my wiping the white powder on his black jeans, leaving messy handprints everywhere.

Mikasa found us in the middle of our play fight and politely cleared her throat, telling us to get out of the kitchen, so she can finish our food. We happily obliged and made our way to the back garden.

“I haven’t seen the garden yet” Levi remarks.

“Next time you sneak into my room, come around this way, that will _really_ impress me.”

His eyes focused on the wall, as if he was considering how he would have to scale it.

“I don’t know whether I feel like going up the mountain during the middle of the night.”

Our house was situated at the top of a steep hill-lined with other large homes- making us the closest to the mountain.

I sit down on the wooden deck and stare at the forgotten garden, which is still green and neat, the way my father likes it.

“My mother used to plant flowers along that wall” I point “And there in the corner was her vegetable garden.”

Levi crosses his legs next to me “What happened?”

“When she died, we sort of just left it. My father barely gave the garden a second glance, Mikasa and I were too afraid to do anything to it, not wanting to ruin it.”

 “My mother…” he lets out a shallow breathe “I don’t have anything to remember her by, at least not something physical.”

“What happened to her?” I ask softly.

“She grew up in Paris and came here when she was nineteen, time passed; she met my father and had me. She never really talked about him, the only connection I have to him is my uncle, Kenny” Levi glances at me “He took me in after she died.”

“Where is he now?”

“Making shady deals, doing crime, dying in a gutter; I don’t really care.”

“I take it you two don’t get on well.”

Levi fumbles in his pocket, looking for a cigarette “He is the reason I stayed at Erwin and Hange’s houses so much.”

I take hold of his trembling hand “You don’t need that to calm you down, I’m here.”

His throat bobbed slightly at my words and he laces his fingers through mine.

“I’m here for you Levi” I repeat “For as long as you want me.”

We were quiet for a long while after that, I continued to hold his hand and stared at the place where flowers once bloomed and vegetables grew.

“You know” Levi says with a cracked voice “If you are going to deny me nicotine, then I need to replace it with something else that calms me down.”

I groan “Levi, you can’t substitute one addiction for another, that’s not how it works.”

“I’m not talking about a substance, I’m talking about you.”

“Me? How’s that going to work?”

“Just hold my hand, like you’re doing now” he smiles “It pretty much has the same effect on me.”

I smiled back, overjoyed to see that rare smile of his, the one that reaches his eyes and shows of his dimples.

Behind us, the glass door slides open “Hey, lovebirds, _I_ finished the food.”

“I don’t see why you’re complaining, it’s not even my turn to cook tonight” I retort.

“Yes, I know. Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“Something came up.”

Mikasa gives a pointed look to Levi “He better not be skipping work because of you.”

“Yes ma’am” he jokes.

Mikasa gives a slight grin and leaves us to go set the table.

“Looks like we’re staying longer than expected” I state.

He squeezes my hand “It would seem so.”

 

_Downtown_

I twirl the empty glass of whisky between my fingers; the only sound in the apartment is the sound of the glass trilling as it spins on the desk.

When I invited Levi to The Wall, it was a gamble, whether or not the boy would be there. Even my sources couldn’t give me a straight answer whether or not he was working today, blaming it on his irregular working hours. Of course, I had people watching Eren from the moment he drives to school to the time he goes home each day. It wasn’t so much as stalking, more like multiple eyes that reported back to me, should something strange happen.

The same goes for Levi.

I glance at the space where that old sleeper couch once stood; although it has been years since he spent the night here, I sometimes find myself still looking at that spot, half expecting him to be curled up, sleeping or stretched out, reading a book. Whenever he caught me watching he would give me a lazy smile and tell me to get back to work or that I was bothering him.

I shake my head, as if it would dispel the memory. He might be having fun now, fooling around with the boy, but soon enough something will happen that will put a spanner in the works, because that’s how relationships work. They have expiry dates.

Except ours, oh no, our relationship is not the kind to just fade away.

He’ll be back, even if I have to drag him here, I’ll make him go on his knees and beg for forgiveness, for straying from my side.

And I’ll enjoy every single moment of it.

Levi is the one person who is not allowed to betray me, to leave me. He came into this life willingly so there is really no excuse for him to want to look for greener pastures.

There was a knock.

I drag my eyes to the door “Come in.”

The young, blonde girl comes in and takes a seat in front of my desk. Her icy blue eyes meet mine.

“Well?” I demand “I assume you came here because you have something to tell me?”

She nods “I do. Recently Corporal has been conversing with someone behind closed doors.”

“Go on.”

“The thing is I haven’t been able to see who it is, they’re careful, smuggling him in and out, without me being able to get a good look at him.”

“Are you sure it’s a man?”

“Yes.”

The information, though interesting, is not worth much if the girl doesn’t even know who’s been frequenting them. For all I know, it could be one of our higher ups, discussing things with Levi.

“Well, it’s not worth much, but I’ll take it into account. A noble effort, but do try and bring me something wort while next time, dear.”

She shifts uncomfortably in her chair “Yes, Commander.”

The girl has potential, she’s ambitious and not afraid to get her hands dirty to get what she wants, which is in her case, rank and power. Naturally, she was of interest long before she joined Levi’s squad.

It’s not every day you find a half dead girl on the street, only to learn that she’s an evicted member of The Titans. That was three years ago, now she’s paying back her debt.

“Alright, you should head home before Corporal notices you’re gone.”

She rises from her chair “He wasn’t there when I left, neither was Eren.”

Having fun in the middle of the week, are we? That’s not very responsible of Levi.

She turns and leaves.

“Thank you, Annie” I purr.

Her shoulders stiffen and she shuts the door behind her.


	18. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and the gang are having trouble with negotiations, forcing them to think outside the box. Annie is up to her old tricks and Jean and Eren have a bonding moment?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When everything is life and death  
> You may feel like there's nothing left  
> Instead of love and trust and laughter  
> What you get is happy never-after  
> But deep down all you want is love  
> The pure kind we all dream of  
> But we cannot escape the past
> 
> Homewrecker, Marina And The Diamonds

“What do you mean it’s a crap plan?” Mike says through clenched teeth.

“Do you want me to spell it out for you?” Levi counters “It’s a crap plan! Do you really think we can just waltz in there and say: “Hey listen Commander, we’re sick and tired of you jerking our chains? We’re leaving, goodbye.” “We might as well go in there with “Shoot me!” written on our foreheads.”

Hange and I exchange a nervous glance.

Mike and Levi both want the same thing, but during the hour they have been discussing on how to usurp Erwin, it became apparent that the two men have entirely different opinions on how to go about it.

“Well then, _Corporal_ ” Mike hisses “What do you suggest we do?”

“Instead of outright declaring war, we collapse The Wings from within. First off, we’ll start by each gathering our forces, and figure out how many we have, then we send people out to try and gather more support, offering those who want out a chance to escape.”

“And how long will that take? If we tell him directly he’ll know where we stand, the people will still have the chance to come over to our side.”

Levi’s voice is sharp “Do you honestly think that he’ll give them the chance to just walk away? Never mind that, how many people do you think will leave and openly expose themselves as traitors?”

“Can I say something?” Hange chimes in.

Mike gives her an irritated look, but Levi nods his head.

“Mike” she begins “You need to understand that your approach will definitely send out a strong message, which is good, but Commander _will_ see it as a challenge. You know as well as we do, that Commander never backs away from a challenge, especially when it concerns his authority.”

Mike sighs and turns his eyes away to the window.

Hange continues “Now, Corporal, you know Commander better than anyone else, what is the one thing that he values most?”

Without missing a beat he says “Control.”

“So we take that away from him” I guess.

“At his core, Erwin is a very lonely person” Levi closes his eyes “But he’s charismatic, manipulative and has a scary amount of knowledge when it comes to understanding people. In reality, his power lies not within himself, but rather with the sheer amount of people he has at his disposal.”

Understanding flashes in Mike’s eyes “If we take away his support, then essentially we take away his power.”

“That would break him” Petra says softly.

Petra has been quiet the entire meeting, merely watching and listening. I recall that she has been with The Wings of Freedom slightly longer than Levi, meaning that she also knew Erwin before he changed so drastically. Even though he might be a terrible person, I can’t help but wonder if she, along with Hange, Mike and Levi feel a form of regret or sadness towards Erwin. If it maybe pains them even a little bit to betray the person who was once their friend.

Levi looks at her sadly “If it’s what we have to do, then we have no other choice.”

“I know” she replies.

“This meeting has been long” Mike states “Why don’t we call it a day?”

Nobody disagreed on that notion; in fact I would say Levi almost looked relieved.

“Alright, next time we meet at your place in Sector Cena” Levi says “If we want to keep these meetings secret then we need to move around more and I don’t want the recruits getting suspicious.”

I get up “I’ll check if it’s safe to clear out.”

I quickly close the door behind me, and look around whether anybody was around, frowning when I saw Annie watching me from the bottom of the stairs.

“Hiding behind closed doors again, Yeager?” she remarks “Do I even want to know what you and Corporal are up to?”

“Considering that Hange and Petra are in there with us, not much.”

She lazily tilts her head to the side “So there is something going on between the two of you.”

“It’s none of your business, really. Why are you hanging around here?”

“That’s for me to know and you to wonder about.”

I clench my jaw. Mike needs to get out of the house, something he can’t do if Annie is planning on sticking around here.

When Levi’s door swings open behind us, I spin around, my breathe catching in my throat.

_Not now!_

I watch as Levi, Hange and Petra calmly stroll out. Hange and Petra brush past me, chattering away and Levi takes his place next to me.

“Is there a problem, Annie?” he asks.

Annie looks at the open bedroom door, confused.

“No, Corporal, just making small talk.”

“Really?” he casually slides his hand into the back pocket of my jeans.

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to keep a straight face.

“Yes, but I should really be getting back to work now” she backs away.

“Please do” he commands “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you slacking off. I hope you think twice about skipping on your duties in the future, for your sake at least.”

Annie wide eyed and slightly pale did the logical thing and silently slunk away instead of back chatting him.

“Would it be weird if I told you that was kind of hot?” I grin.

He looks at me, amused “Glad you enjoyed the show.”

“Um where’s Mike?”

 “Hange escorted him out the window; you should have seen his face!” he laughs.

I study his face and say “Tell me how you’re really feeling, Levi.”

The smile fades, replaced by a tired face “Honestly, I don’t even know. I should be happy; we’re finally going to do this but…”

“But what?”

“I’m scared” he admits “For Hange, for Petra, you, all of us.”

“Do you want to talk about it in private?”

He rubs his eyes “No, what I need now is a distraction; maybe I should clean the windows.”

 “You do realize that I’ll do a much better job at distracting you then cleaning.”

Levi brushes his lips over my cheek and down to the corner of my mouth “Later, right now I need a good therapeutic cleaning session.”

“When’s later?”

“Such a spoiled kid” he removes his hand from my pocket and skims his thumb across my lower back.

“I’m high maintenance” I correct him.

“I think you mean high strung.”

“Shut up” I punch his shoulder.

“Corporal?”

We both turn, surprised to find Jean watching us at the bottom of the stairs. A faint blush was spread across his cheeks-embarrassment due to intruding on our flirtation.

Instead of breaking our closeness, Levi simply turns his attention to him, his face returned to its usual stoic mask.

 “Something I can help you with?” Levi asks.

“We need E- Yeager” he points down the hall “We’re busy with the carpet.”

“You heard him, get going.”

Levi shamelessly pats my ass and gives me a flirty smile before returning to his room.

Heat spread across my face like a wildfire. I look at Jean, who is equally red faced as I am with his mouth agape.

“Jean, I swear if you tell anyone” I threaten him.

“Dude, it’s pretty obvious you guys like each other, we’ve noticed.”

I halt when I was next to him “What?”

“Well, you blew up that one time when Ymir was gossiping about Corporal, you always hang out with him and the others and you guys tend to disappear at the same time.”

“Great, and here I thought we were being subtle.”

“Relax, none of us have seen you guys in the act” he pauses “Accept now.”

“You are surprisingly not being a total ass about this, why is that?”

He sighs “I guess, maybe it’s because I wish that I can be as confident as you about…dating a guy.”

“You like guys?”

“I’m bisexual” he says slowly.

“Does anyone know?”

“My mom and dad-he’s not really crazy about the idea-and Marco” he glances at me, uncertainly “And you? Does your family know?”

“Mikasa and Armin know, as for my dad…I guess we’re in the same boat you and I.”

His mouth quirks into a smile “Dads can really suck sometimes.”

At that moment I realized that unlike me, Jean doesn’t have his family’s support. He doesn’t live at home so the only person he can really rely on is Marco. I might not also have my father’s approval, but I have Mikasa and Armin, my family and Levi, the one I love, as well as Hange and Petra.

“Look, I know we don’t get along but if you ever need to talk…then I’m here for you man.”

“Thank you, Eren” he clears his throat “This doesn’t change anything though; I still think you’re annoying.”

“And you’re still a prick” I grin.

“Now that that’s settled, we should haul ass to go help the others, before the girls get prickly.”

I never thought that Jean and I would be able to have a civil conversation, let alone share a boding moment. I guess that only proves that we’re more alike than we care to admit.

 

Sitting cooped up in my room the whole day is not my idea of fun.

I thought I would spare the recruits my wrath and let them continue their work in peace, whilst we adults do the dirty work.

Hange is in her dungeon, along with Petra, calling on forgotten favours and friends in both high and dark places. If we wanted this plan to succeed we need as much help and support as possible, even it means swallowing my pride and asking for assistance. The network within The Wings can be seen as tree; it has several branches, all of whom that stem from the large and sturdy tree, that is Erwin Smith and the original members. Although Erwin, our valiant ‘Commander’ that rules with an iron fist, is the leader of our group, his rain is not as respected or well regarded by some of the leaders of the various splinter groups- the branches of our tree- the farther away these groups are from our core, the more they see him as simply a figure of some sort, someone who is replaceable.

With the right amount of motivation and enough grovelling we might just muster a few of these groups to join our rebellion. As smart and conniving as Erwin might be he doubts the power of the so called “little people”.

His underestimating us will be his downfall.

I let my head thump against the wall and sink down to the floor. I discard my notes, which were made up out of hasty scribbles and crossed out names and numbers.

My door creaks open and Eren slips inside, standing before me with his hands on his hips.

“Why do you look so defeated, Levi?”

I look up at his earnest face, so full of concern.

“My thoughts are in a thousand places at once; it’s hard to keep up sometimes.”

He settles himself on the floor “I know the feeling.”

“Have you been doing alright? Anything you need to get out of your system?”

Eren crawls towards me, his hands on either side of my hips.

I drag my hand down his chest “When I asked if you had anything to get out of your system, I didn’t mean your hormonal teenage angst.”

I made sure to make my voice sound as alluring as possible, the result being, that he edged closer, his breathing wilder.

“Really? I could have sworn that was an invitation” he counters.

I let out a low laugh and allow him to press a kiss against my neck. Closing my eyes, I tip back my head as he leaves a trail of kisses on my skin, working his way to my throat.

My hand moves to his hair and I tangle my fingers in his thick locks. This boy, I bite my lip to keep myself from smiling, young and inexperienced as he may be, he certainly knows his way with me.

When he reached the spot under my chin, my breathe hitched in my throat and his name escapes my lips.

When did he learn to tease like this?

I gasp “Just kiss me already, Yeager.”

“Yes, Corporal” he murmurs against my skin.

And so he did.

It was the kind of kiss that literary takes your breath away and leaves your head reeling. I could easily get lost in his embrace, his scent, everything about him. With him, time either stood still, or passed without me even noticing it.

When he pulls away, his eyes were shining bright and he bore a pleased expression.

"God, but I do love you" I say, breathless "You know that, right?"

He nods his head.

"And I will do _anything_ to protect you."

"We protect each other" Eren adds "No matter what."

"No matter what."


	19. Assistance is Required

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hange and Levi set out to contact the splinter groups in the hopes of gathering more forces to join with Mike's in their mission to reform The Wings of Freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I have been on the road to sort out my stuff for Uni, which honestly, is so tiring. Fun fact: Getting a Study Visa takes forever and involves much paperwork.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> I've watched the dreamers find their legs  
> And I've seen the ones that come get reduced to bones and dregs  
> 'Cause I am a fire escape, my spine is made of iron  
> My heart pumps old red paint  
> Save yourself, save yourself,  
> Save yourself, save yourself
> 
> Fire Escape- Foster the People

“Please Levi” Eren begs.

He was looking at me with pleading eyes, his hand gripping my upper arm.

I sigh “Eren, I’m sorry the answer is still no, I don’t want you in that kind of environment.”

The poor kid has been begging for three days straight to join us on our trip to go find the various splinter groups in our attempt to try and recruit them for our cause. Of course, this is going to be risky business, which is why Eren wants to come along.

“But what if there’s trouble? I can protect you” he says.

I drop my overnight bag next to me and pull Eren into a tight embrace “Listen, I know you want to help, and I appreciate the fact that you are worried about me, but trust me on this, you don’t want to be there. Not when I have to be Corporal.”

“I love Levi Ackerman _and_ Corporal, no matter what.”

My chest tightens at his words “Eren, I need you here, help Petra with looking after the place for me, okay?”

 “If that’s what you want…” he pulls back slightly to look at my face “Then just please be careful and come back in one piece.”

I chuckle “It’s only for three days; you’ll see me again on Sunday.”

“I’ll miss you though.”

“Eren, are you going to miss me to?” Hange asks as she throws her arms around Eren, knocking me out of the way.

“Hange” I growl.

Eren returned Hange’s embrace, smiling “Of course I will.”

“Don’t worry Eren my boy; I’ll take good care of Corporal.”

“I know” he replies “Don’t let him buy any cigarettes, nicotine patches are also of limits.”

The ultimatum of no cigarettes made my stomach twist; how else am I going to stay sane for these three days?

“Come on, at least let me use the patches.”

“You’re never going to break your dependence on nicotine if you don’t stop using it entirely” he gives a pointed look to Hange “If he needs something buy him some chewing gum.”

Hange regards me sympathetically “Sorry Corporal, you heard Doctor Yeager.”

“Fine” I groan “Now can we please get moving? We have a schedule to work with.”

Eren brushes his lips over my mouth, a final goodbye before Hange and I load our bags into my car and drive off, leaving our little home behind.

Naturally, as soon as we were a block away, Hange starts to play her familiar play list, one she has been working on since high school.

“ _They’re gonna clean up your looks with all the lies in the books-_ Come on Levi, you love this one!”

“Correction, I tolerate this one.”

“ _Because the drugs never work they’re gonna give you a smirk…”_ she sings “Your part is coming up!”

I sigh and reluctantly wait for the song to reach the specific part, listening to Hange sing her heart out.

“Take it away Levi!”

“ _They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me! They could care less as long as someone’ll bleed! So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose, maybe they’ll leave you alone! But not me!”_

Hange cheers and laughs “He still has it folks!”

“Please don’t tell Eren about this.”

“That we enjoying singing the songs of our youth? I know you like it, don’t lie.”

I laugh “Yeah, it reminds me of the old days, when we were just kids.”

“You being a general bad ass delinquent, brooding and reading all those books from dead authors” she muses.

“And there’s you, with your two braids and beat up glasses, setting fire to our textbooks in protest for more advanced and open minded approach to science class.”

“I _almost_ set them on fire, get your facts straight. Man, my parents flipped!”

“When was the last time you talked to them?”

Her grin faded to a tight lipped smile “Well, I’ve talked to my mom twice since I dropped out, my dad…well you know how he is.”

Like me, Hange is an only child. She has a close relationship with both of them, especially her father with whom she shares a love for science. Her parents had always tolerated her friendship with me; they were relieved she finally made a friend and took me into their home, helping out as much as they can. Of course, like most fathers, her dad was sceptical about his daughter hanging out with a delinquent like me.

“When all of this is over you can talk to them again, maybe even go see them. I’ll come with you” I offer.

“Let’s just first see how this goes, besides, I shouldn’t get my hopes up to much.”

“You’re their only daughter; I don’t think you give them enough credit, I bet those two are eagerly waiting for you to return.”

“My mother I can believe, but not my father” she continues firmly.

“We both did stupid things when we were young, but it’s been almost what? Nine years since you dropped out, I’m sure he won’t harbour any bad feelings towards you, in fact if he wants to be angry at someone it should be me.”

“Me dropping out is not your fault, Levi. I made that choice on my own, you needed me. I had a terrible feeling that things were going to go bad.”

“I don’t know what I would have done without you all these years and I’m really grateful to have you as my friend, which I why I think you should reconcile-”

Hange turns up the music “ _SOMEBODY ONCE TOLD ME! The world is gonna roll me…”_

“Real mature shitty glasses, you can’t sing away your problems, believe me I’ve tried.”

Despite my protest she kept on singing. Her estrangement from her family has been a source of worry for me for a long, long time, but no matter how much I talk to her about it, she is adamant that it’s best for her to stay away.

Not wanting to upset her or push her too much, I try to not get distracted by Hange’s silly moves and keep my eyes trained on the road, preparing for the task at hand.

 

“Since Levi’s on a business trip and I have off from work this weekend, why don’t we do an epic sleepover?” I suggest.

Armin was splayed out on the couch, resting his legs on Mikasa’s knees, while she flipped through the TV channels.

“Did you hear that Armin? I think Eren finally has time for us again” Mikasa jokes.

I throw a popcorn kernel at her, which she swats away “You know I’ve been busy.”

“We’ve all been really busy” Armin agrees “What with school and part time jobs and volunteer work.”

“Don’t forget Eren’s love life” Mikasa reminds him.

“Yeah, keeping up to speed with your love life has been really hectic.”

“Guys, please. Are we going to do a Super Sleepover or not?”

The two of them glance at each other and look back to me.

Mikasa holds up her finger “On one condition; no crying over Levi because he isn’t here and no long, mushy phone calls.”

I wanted to remind her that Levi isn’t exactly the mushy type but I just scoffed and agreed to their terms; I’ll call Levi when they’re asleep.

I grin “Why don’t we go out tonight? Does sushi sound good to you guys?”

They both agreed that sushi sounds excellent and that we should go hit the road as soon as possible. Armin has an overnight bag permanently stashed at our house for spontaneous sleepovers such as these, so as soon as Mikasa pulled back her hair in a ponytail and we grabbed our jackets we hopped on our bikes.

As I hand Armin the spare helmet and he settles behind me, I couldn’t help but think of Levi and the feeling of his arms around me.

Armin taps my shoulder “Eren, Mikasa is going to leave you eating dust.”

I start the engine “Right, sorry.”

Here’s hoping Levi and Hange are doing okay, I think. I have a feeling that those two would have much rather preferred to be at home.

 

“I want to go home.”

“Levi...”

“Hange look at that hole” I gesture to the gaping hole in the wall “That is not a window.”

“So the place looks a bit rough, our house was in bad shape not too long ago.”

The house looked more than a ‘bit rough’. As I pointed out, there was a large hole a few feet from the door- as if someone tried to bash their way inside but gave up halfway- the paint was peeling from the wooden exterior and some of the windows were cracked, one had shattered completely and was replaced by a layer of duct tape.

“Let’s get this over with” I sigh.

We carefully make our way up the porch and halt when we reach the front door.

Hange nudges me “Knock already.”

“I outrank you, therefor _you_ should knock.”

She rolls her eyes and knocks “Now is not the time to be shy Corporal.”

After a moment the door is flung open by a beefy man wearing a muscle shirt and sweat pants.

“What” he says curtly.

“Hello sir, we are looking for a Mr…” she glances at her palm “Oluo Bozado?”

The man crosses his arms “Who’s asking?”

I step forward “That would me.”

He eyes me up and down “And you are?”

“The name’s Corporal.”

His eyes widen and he nearly stumbles over his feet as he straightens himself to do the salute.

“Corporal, sir! I had no idea-”

“Relax, there’s no need to apologise. What’s your name?”

“Ted Baker.”

“Well Ted, would you mind escorting Hange and I to see your boss? This is a matter of great importance.”

Ted gestures for us to come inside and closes the door behind us. I tried my best to ignore the dirty surroundings, which only seemed to worsen the deeper we went inside the house.

“Is that… weed I smell?” Hange asks.

Ted cracks a nervous smile “Sorry about that, we hardly do anything around here since we’re stationed so far away from the interior. Boss tries to keep the guys in line but they get bored, you know?”

I frown “When was the last time any of you went out on patrol or surveyed The Titans?”

He nervously twiddles his thumbs “Like I said, we just got put here, we don’t do much.”

“Lovely.”

We halt in front of a room with a dark sheet hanging from the frame in place of a door.

“Hey, Boss?” Ted calls.

“What?”

Ted glances at me “Sorry to bother you but there someone here to see you; it’s Corporal.”

There was a sound of someone falling off a chair, followed by a curse and then the sheet was flung open, revealing a man, with light brown hair, styled in an undercut. He wore a pair of faded blue jeans, worn out leather shoes and a white button down shirt with the sleeves pushed up.

“Corporal!” he exclaims “It’s an honour to have you here, please step inside.”

His room, much like mine, consisted of a bed, dresser and a faint lamp light, perched on a plastic table, which functions as his desk.

He moves behind his desk “I must apologise for the state of this place; we make do with what we have, which isn’t much.”

“It’s fine Mr Oluo, you should have seen our place before we fixed it up” Hange says.

“Just call me Oluo, I’ve wanted to do the same and I wrote to Commander but I was shot down” he sighs “We’re not that high up in the ranks so we were denied help.”

My heart went out to the guy; the Erwin I once knew wouldn’t have refused to help someone, especially based on their rank within the group.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but the reason we came out today is to talk to you about the current state of The Wings, if you help us we most definitely will be able to help you.”

Oluo sinks down into the lawn chair “ _You_ want my help?”

Hange begins “Please before you refuse-”

“Refuse! How can I refuse when Corporal personally came here to ask for our assistance?”

I look at him confused “Are you being sarcastic or what?”

“Not at all Corporal! You must understand, for someone like you to come ask the help of a small and frankly, unimpressive group like ours…it’s amazing.”

“We need all the help we can get and I’m not one to discriminate.”

He grins “So it is true, you are fighting for us. I’ve hear stories about you, you know; the way you stand up for anyone who can’t do it themselves, your determination to make The Wings of Freedom a better group again. Tell me, are you finally going to do it?”

I felt taken aback by his praise “Do what?”

“Take over Commader’s position” he whispers “At least that’s what some people say, others say that you’re too loyal and would never do it.”

“Well, Oluo, I’m here to see you aren’t I? That should be a clear enough answer.”

“Thank you Corporal, sir! We won’t let you down, I promise. I have lots of connections that might be useful and my men would gladly aid you in your cause.”

“Our cause” I correct him “Do you think you can send the word out to the other splinter groups we can trust?”

“Consider it done.”

Hange squeals “I can’t believe this is happening Corporal!”

I smile at her and return my attention to Oluo “Our meeting today is highly confidential; don’t tell anyone about it unless you can trust them, if word of our rebellion gets out to Commander before everything is ready we can consider ourselves screwed.”

“Yes Corporal” he salutes.

“Good, we need to be on our way, we still have a few stops to make today.”

Oluo enthusiastically shakes my hand and walks us to the door, waving us off.

"That went well" I say.

"Levi, that went more than well, you're a born leader!"

"Compared to Erwin, I think anyone can do a better job" I pause "Then again, he might be a bad guy but he has good leadership skills, if he hadn't changed so much..."

"If he hadn't changed you might not have met Eren" she says softly "I know this isn't easy but you're going to help a lot of people like Oluo."

"When all this is done we'll be free."

Hange closes her eyes "I guess you can call this our quest for freedom."

"A quest for freedom; I like the sound of that."

"Well, our quest won't get anywhere unless you start driving."

"Fine, but we're listening to my music."

Hange groans and i bark a laugh. One day we'll be driving around wherever we want, whenever we want to.

And there will be no one who can stop us.


End file.
